A Real Good Man
by Hidge
Summary: When Emily accepted what she thought was a harmless bet, she never imagined that it would lead to her being truly happy for the first time in years. Prentiss/Mick Rawson pairing. Please give it a chance! Lots of JJ and Garcia! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I decided to write a Prentiss/Mick Rawson fic for a few reasons. 1) I think that more people need to give the pairing a chance. 2) I loved Mick's character in "The Fight" and I thought that him and Prentiss were really funny and cute together. I don't see the lack of chemistry that some people are talking about. 3) I thought this fic would be a great opportunity to write some awesome Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia scenes. :) **

**Also, this is an un-betaed fic so excuse any small grammar errors and typos. Thanks!**

**So with all of that information...enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Criminal Minds, any of its characters, or the spin-off characters. I also do not own the song that this fic is named after, Tim McGraw's "Real Good Man". Give it a listen!**

**Chapter 1 – The Inside Job**

JJ, Emily, and Garcia had collectively decided that since their last girls' night had been cut short because of the case in Alaska, they deserved another one. This time instead of going shopping or out to a bar, they had stayed in at Emily's brownstone apartment. She had cooked them a fabulous dinner and after cleaning up they sat in her living room chatting and drinking wine. Much to the brunette's dismay, the subject of Mick Rawson had been brought up in conversation.

"You still haven't called him?" JJ asked in shock. She figured that after her badgering, Emily would simply give in and call him. But she had miscalculated how stubborn her friend could be.

Emily shook her head. "I've been busy," she answered unconvincingly.

Garcia knew that JJ had hounded their friend about not returning the calls of the handsome Brit the last time that they had gone out. Although she had not been present for the conversation and had not yet met Mick, JJ had her completely caught up on everything. "Why are you so opposed to calling him? He did give you his number for a reason," she laughed.

Emily sighed heavily. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"Yes!" Garcia and JJ replied in unison.

"Well, like I said to you before," she said while gesturing towards JJ, "it isn't worth wasting my time and energy to date him because I know that it's not going to go anywhere."

"You don't know that," JJ reiterated. "I thought the same thing about Will when I first met him because of our jobs and the fact that we lived in different parts of the country. At least you have the added benefit of both living in D.C."

Emily ignored JJ's rationalization completely. "I don't want to deal with a man who thinks that much of himself. I get enough narcissism and alpha males on the job, thank you." Garcia couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh and I almost forgot the most important point. I'm not even attracted to him!" She exclaimed.

"Bullshit," JJ laughed. "We know you Emily so don't lie. He's totally your type; the badge, the accent…"

"The messy hair and dark eyes," Garcia chimed in. Emily looked at her in disbelief and she simply shrugged. "I pulled his file."

"Of course you did," Emily chuckled. She got up off of her sofa and headed into the kitchen. "More wine anyone?" She poured herself another glass because if she had to continue this line of conversation then she would need it.

"No thanks," JJ called out.

"What about you Garcia?"

"No, I'm good. Hey," Garcia began devilishly, "do you still have the messages he left on your machine?"

Emily raced back into the living room. "Why?" She didn't like the mischievous tone of her voice at all and quickly realized that telling JJ that he had called and left messages had been a terrible decision.

"So we can listen to them," she smiled brightly. "And ya know, analyze his every word like girls are supposed to do."

Emily was shaking her head repeatedly for no but JJ was already up out of her seat and heading for her answering machine. The blonde pressed a quick series of buttons and suddenly Mick's British accent was filling the living room.

"'_Ello, it's me, Mick, just in case you have more then one handsome Brit calling you at home. We should get together sometime for coffee or dinner. Give me a call when you're free. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I got back from San Francisco."_

"Aww, he hasn't stopped thinking about you." Garcia squealed while Emily rolled her eyes.

"There are two more," JJ grinned.

"Play them!" Garcia encouraged.

"'_Ello! Me again! I just got back from a case in Minnesota and was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite? Give me a call. Bye." _

"_Okay, so I'm really enjoying this playing hard to get thing. But I think that you should call me before I start harassing you at work. I'm certainly not above doing that. Just call me back Emily." _

"When did he leave the last one?" Garcia asked curiously.

"Two days ago," Emily answered annoyed.

"You should call him back."

Emily scoffed at Garcia's suggestion. "No!" She looked between her two best friends who kept exchanging urgent looks and it took her a moment to realize that they had decided beforehand to ambush her this evening. "You guys planned this," she accused.

"Maybe just a little," JJ admitted with a smile. "But you _are_ calling him…right now."

"JJ," Emily started in a warning tone. "JJ, I swear to God!" She hopped over her couch and leapt at JJ but it was too late. JJ had already called him and he had picked up.

"'_Ello. 'Ello?"_

"Hey," she responded after cringing. She figured it wouldn't be too polite to hang up now, he most likely had caller ID after all. Emily shot glares towards both blondes who were now quietly snickering together on her couch. Not only had those two managed to get her to talk to him right now but they had gotten her to talk to him on speaker phone. "It's Emily Prentiss."

"_Hey, how have you been?"_

He sounded really excited to hear from her but she wasn't going to let that affect her right now. "Pretty busy."

"_So it seems, since you haven't returned any of my calls."_

He laughed melodiously over the phone and JJ and Garcia joined in. Emily wanted to kill her so called friends right now. It was abundantly clear that they loved him. "Sorry about that," she began but he cut her off.

"_You're forgiven. So are you calling to ask me out?"_

He was so presumptuous and arrogant, and this was exactly why she had refrained from calling him earlier. "No, not exactly."

"_You're afraid to go out with me aren't you?"_

"Excuse me?" She scoffed.

"_You're afraid that if you go out on a few dates with me then you'll actually like me."_

Emily laughed loudly, "Trust me, that's the last thing that would happen."

"_Oh really?"_ He laughed. _"Want to bet on it?"_

JJ and Garcia exchanged smug expressions. They knew that he had her hook, line, and sinker because if there was one thing that Emily Prentiss couldn't resist it was a challenge.

"Absolutely! What are the terms?" She asked quickly.

"_We go out on five dates and if you don't want to see me again after that or if we haven't shagged yet then I'll leave you alone."_

Emily rolled her eyes at his comment about sex. "Okay, what's in it for you?"

"_The pleasure of your company."_

She could imagine that that stupid grin of his was plastered on his face right now. "Okay deal."

"_Lovely. I'll call you tomorrow to finalize our terms. Have sweet dreams Emily."_

"Bye Mick." She pushed the button to disconnect the call a little more forceful then necessary but it got the job done. She turned to Garcia and JJ and huffed, "You guys happy now?"

"Oh yeah," JJ laughed while Garcia nodded vigorously in agreement. They had just gotten their friend five dates with a guy who was perfect for her, of course they were happy.

**A/N: Please review! All kinds of comments are welcome! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, alert, and favourite this story. Honestly, I got more feedback then I expected so I'm very happy! :) Once again, this is un-betaed so forgive any stupid mistakes and enjoy the update! :)**

**Warning: This chapter has a little language but certainly not enough for an M rating.**

**Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1. Oh, and I also don't own The Addams Family. Lol.**

**Chapter 2 – Prentiss' Dos and Don'ts**

Emily awoke later then she usually did on a Saturday morning. She blamed it on two things: the wine and Mick Rawson's insufferable attitude. She quickly decided that she did not want to waste another minute thinking about him because she already had five dates to deal with.

She eventually pushed all thoughts of Mick Rawson and their little bet aside as she went about her regular routine. She made her bed and turned on the coffee pot. While she waited for her coffee to percolate, she cleaned up a little around her apartment. She hadn't bothered to wash the wine glasses that they had used last night after she had practically thrown JJ and Garcia out of her place. They had been so giddy after her phone call with Mick that she just hadn't been able to tolerate them anymore.

So she had only made it an hour into her regular routine before _he_ popped into her head again. Not a big deal she told herself. And her solution was to run into her home office and grab a stack of uncompleted BAU paperwork. She sat on her couch with her files laid out in front of her on her coffee table. Her cell phone was lying faithfully beside her and she had the television on for background noise.

When she realized how predictable, boring, and _lonely_ her so called routine was, she considered the possibility that maybe getting a cat _was_ a good idea. Luckily she didn't have much time to dwell on that particular thought before her cell phone started to ring.

She snatched it off of the table and answered without thinking, "Prentiss."

"_Good morning lovely!"_

She sighed loudly and leaned back against her comfortable sofa, there was no mistaking that voice. "How did you get my cell number?" The fact that he had obtained her home number was impressive but she gave out her cell phone number to very few people, and the phone number on her card was her line at the BAU. Her cell phone number was something that was kind of sacred to her.

"_I work for the FBI too honey, it wasn't that hard."_

"Well let's hear it for American privacy," she joked sarcastically. He laughed and it took her aback for a moment. People outside of her close-knit group of friends didn't typically laugh at her jokes. She was a self-proclaimed nerd and she was okay with that. "So," she cleared her throat awkwardly, "you're calling because…?"

"_To finalize our terms and discuss our first date."_

She could picture that grin on his face again and it drove her nuts. "Okay, so we go on five dates as quickly as possible. Sounds good to me."

He laughed, _"No, see I was thinking that there should be at least, oh I dunno, three days between each date."_

"One," she argued quickly.

"_Two."_

"Fine," she huffed. "But no sporting events!"

"_Okay but one date has to take place at one of our places."_

She ran a hand through her long hair as she thought. What had she gotten herself into? "Your place," she finally decided. At least if she was at his house or apartment, or wherever it was that he lived, she could leave anytime she chose. "Oh! And don't even think about picking me up for a date on your motorcycle!" He chuckled huskily and it sent a shiver through her body, which she tried to pretend didn't happen.

"_How do you know I have a motorbike?"_

"I'm a profiler too, it isn't too hard to tell," she said using his words from earlier.

"_I think that you'd like the bike." _

Motorcycles were something that she had indulged in as a teenager. Guys on motorcycles had pretty much been her weakness. The rebellious girl inside of her was jumping at the chance to take a ride on Mick Rawson's motorcycle but she wasn't sure if she was ready to let that girl have her way. Right now, the woman that she was wanted a man whose number one desire was to have a family and a guy who drove a motorcycle didn't seem to fit that mould. "Maybe in an exceptional circumstance," she told him honestly.

"_Do you have any other terms?"_

He still had the same playful and happy tone in his voice and it actually brought a smile to her face. "Umm," she pondered, "not that I can think of right now but I'll surely make a list later on and get back to you." This time she grinned to herself and was sure that he was aware of it as well.

"_And I will pick you up Monday night at seven." _

"Because you know my address, right?" She asked annoyed.

"_Absolutely! I'll send you more details later."_

"More details? What?" He was being cryptic now and she didn't like it one bit.

"_Just wait with bated breath. I'll see you soon Emily."_

"Mick, don't you dare hang up on me without answering my question!" She pulled her cell phone away from her ear and stared at the black screen in disbelief. "The bastard hung up on me," she muttered to herself.

* * *

"Don't bring her flowers. She doesn't like flowers."

Mick nodded and committed the thought to memory. "No flowers got ya."

Garcia sat in her comfortable chair in her office with JJ sitting by her side on the edge of her desk. They were both sizing up the tall Brit standing in front of them as they gave him small tidbits of advice on how to handle their best friend. He had called JJ the night before asking for suggestions on places to take Emily for dinner. He had sounded so genuine and enthusiastic on the phone that JJ offered to do more then tell him where to bring her for dinner. So they had snuck him into Garcia's office very early on Monday morning. They were giving him the very basic dos and don'ts when it came to Emily Prentiss. He would still have to do a lot of work himself but at least now he would have a little insight.

"She loves chocolate," Garcia offered. Mick Rawson had certainly impressed her so far. He was charming and better looking in person then he was in the pictures that she had found. She also had the secret privilege of viewing his personnel file and she liked what she had read in there too. He was intelligent, talented, and a decorated individual who was praised by his supervisors. And let's face it; the accent was to die for.

"And ice cream," JJ added.

"What about different types of food?" Mick asked curiously.

"She loves Chinese and she really likes seafood," Garcia answered. "Not big on Italian and she can't stand Arabic food."

"Duly noted," he grinned. "Is there anything else?" With what he had heard already, a plan was formulating in his head.

JJ laughed humourlessly, "Oh there's lots. What are the most important things?" She asked while turning to look at Garcia.

"She has a thing about guys opening doors for her. She hates it," Garcia brainstormed.

"What?" Mick asked chuckling. He wasn't surprised at all, that was so _her_.

"She's too independent to have a man open a door for her," JJ explained. "And she thinks that it's misleading, that guys only do it because they think it's what a woman wants and something about how a guy who opens doors on the first few dates won't do it after a few months."

"She likes guys who aren't shy about their intentions. But," Garcia laughed, "you don't seem to have a problem with that." Mick laughed along with her and shook his head. "Also, she'll call you out on your bullshit so be prepared."

"I know, and I like that," he smiled.

JJ laughed to herself at the dreamy expression on the man's face. "I think that you're fairly well prepared for now. She definitely will not sleep with you on the first date but other then that, I'm sure that it will go great," she announced jokingly before her tone of voice and facial expression turned serious. "As much as we like you, she's our friend first."

"Yeah," Garcia spoke up. "We love her so don't do anything stupid."

He couldn't help but smile, he liked that Emily had such loyal friends. "Don't worry ladies, I won't let ya down." He winked and turned to leave but Garcia called out to him. "Yeah?" He questioned as he spun back around.

"For the love of God, don't ask her about her political views on the first date!"

He laughed loudly because that wasn't exactly his idea of stimulating first date conversation either. He thanked the two wonderful blondes before leaving the BAU and heading back to D.C.

* * *

Emily sat restlessly on her couch as she waited for Mick to pick her up. She looked at her watch and saw that it was twelve minutes after seven and he had said that he would pick her up at seven. He was late. Why wasn't she surprised? But she hadn't been on a first date in a while so she was starting to get anxious, despite the fact that she kept telling herself that she should feel nothing but irritation at the moment.

Her love life had been…practically nonexistent since joining the BAU. She was amazed that JJ and Garcia had successful relationships when the rest of the team was a disaster. Rossi was a divorcee three times over. Hotch was still torn up about Haley. Reid seemed content to be alone. Morgan was the ladies man who couldn't settle down. And well, she could count the number of men she had dated in the past five years on one hand, and not one of them had been a serious relationship. Maybe JJ and Garcia were right to force her into calling Mick; she could really use a date.

She sighed loudly and ran a hand through her hair. She had decided to leave it straight for tonight instead of taking the time to curl it. Her wardrobe was casual, as per his wishes. She was wearing a sleeveless, purple top, blue jeans, and heels. She had received a text message from him earlier in the day telling her to dress casual for tonight and to be prepared to be mentally stimulated. She had to admit that she had openly laughed at the message, which had garnered a curious look from Reid.

A knock sounded at her door and she quickly hopped to her feet. "Finally," she huffed. She pulled open her door and took in Mick's smug appearance. He was leaning against her doorframe wearing dark jeans and a black sweater under his black, leather jacket. He was clean shaven and he looked rather sexy. But the last thing that she was going to do was give him a compliment. Instead she opted for, "You're late."

"Got held up at the office," he apologized. "But I brought you something." He grinned and she raised an eyebrow in response. "Here you are." He pulled a small, rectangular box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

She accepted the gift and gave him a small, encouraging smile. He had gotten her chocolate. They hadn't even officially started their first date and he had already figured out her ultimate weakness. "Thanks."

He smiled back at her and asked, "Are you ready to go?" If a small box of chocolates always elicited that coy, sexy smile then he would bring her a box everyday.

She nodded and grabbed her coat and purse. "So where are we going?" She asked curiously.

"A restaurant a couple of blocks from here," he replied. "I thought that we could walk."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"You look great by the way," he offered.

"Thanks," she replied softly as she locked her door. "You don't look terrible."

She grinned wildly at him and he laughed at her attitude. She was trying so hard not to like him. It was kind of adorable.

After a short walk, where they had discussed their case loads since San Francisco, Mick stopped and Emily had to laugh a little at the restaurant that he had chosen. It was her favourite Chinese place in all of D.C. He opened the door for her and chuckled at the glare that got shot his way. He hadn't forgotten what Garcia and JJ had told him but he couldn't help himself from opening the door. What would his mother think? "Sorry, I'm a British gentleman; I open doors and pull out chairs for my dates." And he did just that when they were seated at a table.

"Nice manners," she grumbled.

"Something that you're not used to?" He probed.

"No," she shook her head. "The opposite." She had been to enough formal dinners and parties with her parents to experience proper manners and etiquette. But just because it was something that she was used to didn't mean that it was something that she cared for. She liked the idea of doing things for herself, even if it was something as simple as opening a door.

A waiter came by quickly to give them menus and take their drink orders. Mick ordered a beer while she elected to just have water. She was about to open her mouth to ask about his most recent case but he bet her to the punch. "I don't wanna talk about work," he stated.

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"You," he answered simply.

"Such an original line," she teased.

He laughed, "I do try. But seriously, tell me something about yourself. Where did you grow up?"

"All over," she answered honestly as she perused the menu.

"Cop out," he coughed indiscreetly.

She raised her eyes to meet his. "No, its not," she argued.

"Okay," he laughed. "So exactly where is 'all over'?"

She rolled her eyes at his use of air quotes before she responded to his mockingly phrased question. "I was born in Connecticut, and then, in order, I lived in Egypt, New Zealand, Turkey, Jordan, D.C., Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, California, Italy, France, Switzerland, then back to D.C. to finish high school, and then to Connecticut for college."

"Wow," he replied in awe. "That's a lot of moving around."

"My mother is an ambassador and my father was a Navy SEAL," she explained. "Magically, they're still married but growing up it seemed like they were never in the same place so I split time between them."

"Wow," he repeated. He could talk to her and about her all night, it was just a question of would she let him. "Daughter of an ambassador and a military man," he mused.

"Yeah," she laughed softly. "It seems as if serving the American government is genetic."

He laughed along with her. "I can sorta relate to that. Six generations of Rawsons have served in the British military."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose and one corner of her mouth quirked upwards in interest. "Including you?"

"You really wanna know if I was special forces, don't ya?" He smiled brightly because he knew that not knowing was driving her nuts. "I bet that you've been thinking about it nonstop since San Francisco."

"Oh don't flatter yourself!"

He laughed boisterously at her response before he leaned forward and reached his hand across the table. "Okay," he began as he drummed his fingers on the wood. "I'll tell you if you tell me something that you've never told anyone."

She leaned back in her chair and thought for a long moment. Did she want to find out if he was ex-British Special Forces? Absolutely. Did she want to tell him a secret about herself? Truthfully, she was on the fence about that. But the hard part was coming up with something that she had kept completely to herself. "Okay, I have something," she proclaimed with a smile. He stared at her in excited anticipation. "When I was seventeen, I dated this guy named David who was goth and kind of weird and creepy. The only reason that I dated him in the first place was because I knew my parents would detest him," she added. "Anyway, about a month in he tells me that the only reason he noticed me was because he thought that I looked like Morticia Addams. I dumped him on the spot and up until this moment that story has been too embarrassing to retell." She blushed and laughed awkwardly as she ran both of her hands through her hair.

Mick stared at her in silence before he erupted into laughter. "That's fucking hilarious," he stated before he took a sip of his beer.

"I'm glad that I could amuse you. Now tell me, were you in the British Special Forces?" She demanded impatiently.

"Yes," he replied nonchalantly.

Her mouth fell open and she looked at him in disbelief. "That was so not a fair exchange of information."

"No, not at all," he agreed through laughter.

Their waiter returned then and took their orders. They ordered the same thing and neither profiler wanted to spend too much time analyzing that. Conversation flowed easily and Emily was pleasantly surprised by how engaged she was. Mick was interesting. He had grown up in London, where his parents still lived happily married. He had been devoted to soccer, well in his words football, and rugby as a teenager. He had backpacked across Europe just after high school. After that he had joined the military and had gotten a university degree while serving. He had two younger sisters, both still living in the United Kingdom, and he was fluent in French.

After arguing over who would pay the check, an argument which she ultimately won, he walked her back to her apartment. They had casually fallen back into chatting about work but in a more playful manner then she was used to. He had just questioned her about her firearms proficiency.

"I'm a decent shot," she answered with a laugh.

"Just decent?" He teased.

"Well I don't like to brag, unlike some people," she grinned.

He laughed at her little jab and stopped walking when she did. They had unfortunately already reached her door. "So when do you want to go out again? On a real date this time, meaning one where I pay," he laughed. "Friday?"

She thought about arguing for Wednesday since that would be the earliest day that they could go out according to the terms but she figured that her workload wouldn't allow it. "Yeah, that's good for me. Even if we don't get a case I'm going to be buried in paperwork all week."

"Great, Friday it is then," he smiled enticingly and leaned forward. "And I will text and call you multiple times this week."

"Okay, I will be prepared," she nodded seriously before a smile graced her face.

He stared at her intensely as his faced inched towards hers. She had the prettiest eyes that he had ever seen and it had been one of the first things that he had noticed about her, aside from the fact that she was sexy as hell. He had never ever been more attracted to a woman, both physically and mentally. And she was going to let him kiss her. "Emily," he breathed her name softly.

"Goodnight Mick," she smiled as she quickly pulled away from him and unlocked her apartment door.

"Um, yeah, night," he stammered as he ruffled his hair. He was beginning to think that he had misread the whole situation before he saw the flirtatious smile on her face before she closed the door. She had done that to him on purpose. "Bloody little tease," he said to himself as he turned away from her door and walked down the hallway towards the stairs. He wanted to take the stairs as opposed to the elevator so that he would have more time to think and cool off. He took a long, deep breath. He only had four dates left to sweep that beautiful woman off her feet.

**A/N: Leave me your thoughts please! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I've gotten some super unbelievable reviews so thanks and keep 'em coming! Once again, this is un-betaed. I did my best so excuse any stupid mistakes. Enjoy the update! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.**

**Chapter 3 – The Second Date Kiss**

Emily had barely stepped out of the elevator and on to the sixth floor of BAU Headquarters before she was being pulled by Garcia into the direction of JJ's office. She hadn't even made it to the glass doors of the bullpen. The pushy blonde shoved her into JJ's office and closed and locked the door behind her. JJ, who had been working at her desk, didn't seem too surprised by the intrusion. Garcia pushed Emily into a nearby chair and loomed over her with an excited grin.

"What are you guys doing?" Emily asked laughing.

JJ played with the pen in her hand as she gave the brunette a knowing look. "How was your date?" She asked slowly.

"It was…" She stopped talking as she had the urge to say, 'It was great. I think that I really like him.' Instead she finished the sentence with, "meh."

"Meh?" Garcia repeated sceptically. "Meh!"

"Garcia, stop yelling at me." Emily noticed how serious her friend looked but she couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. "Okay," she gave in exasperatedly, "it was good. Really good," she elaborated. "I had a really good time."

JJ leaned back in her chair and she looked quite pleased with herself while Garcia squealed excitedly. "I knew it," JJ stated triumphantly.

"You two need to calm down," Emily laughed. "I'm not marrying the guy. I just said that we had a good first date."

"Oh Em, sweetie," Garcia spoke as if she was talking to a child. "The first date is everything." Emily just nodded and laughed. She knew by now that there was no reasoning with Garcia. In certain situations, it was better just to humour her. "So, did ya kiss him?"

"No, I did not." She looked up at Garcia immediately and raised her hands defensively. "Don't yell at me."

Garcia slowly closed her mouth and turned to look at JJ for support. "Why not?" JJ asked calmly.

Emily felt like she was being interrogated by the good cop, bad cop routine but she answered the question anyway. "We may have had a good first date but he's still arrogant, oversexed, and egotistical. Mostly I just did it to mess with him," she confessed.

"That's terrible," Garcia scolded.

"You know what?" Emily asked laughing. "I think that the two of you should date him. Accent, badge, and gun, sound like anyone you know?" She directed towards JJ. The blonde pushed her hair back from her face as she avoided eye contact with Emily. "I love you guys," she began as she got to her feet. "But no more talking about Mick Rawson, okay?"

They both nodded but Garcia quickly uttered one last question. "When are you seeing him again?"

"Friday," Emily answered before she escaped from JJ's office.

"She likes him," Garcia stated with a smile.

"Oh yeah," JJ agreed chuckling.

Neither blonde was a profiler but they knew their friend and it was quite clear to them that she liked Mick Rawson, even if she didn't want to admit it yet.

* * *

Friday came fairly quickly for Emily. They had not gotten called out for a case and she had made a large dent in her paperwork. All in all, it was a happy, productive work week. Garcia and JJ had respected her request thus far and hadn't bombarded her with questions about Mick since Tuesday morning. However, the tech savvy blonde had sent her a text message earlier in the day telling her to have fun on her date and that text messages and notes were still fair game since she had only specified a moratorium on _talking_ about Mick. Emily couldn't help but laugh as her cell phone chimed again with another text message from Garcia. She had to hand it to her friend; she was tricky. This message told her that she absolutely _had_ to kiss Mick tonight. She shook her head laughing as she tucked her phone into her purse.

She had been inwardly debating whether or not to kiss him tonight all afternoon. She wanted to…kind of. He had called her every night this week just to talk and continue the carefree topics of conversation that accompanied a first date. Their conversations were full of humorous, playful banter that was a little more light-hearted then it had been before. He hadn't lost any of his arrogance but something had changed about him, or maybe it was just her imagination. At the very least she was warming up to him rapidly and at the most, and in her mind what could be a worst case scenario, she was falling for him. She scolded herself for even thinking such a thing when they had only been on one date.

"Get it together Prentiss," she told herself quietly as she leaned on her kitchen counter. The only reason that she had agreed to this little bet of his was because she knew that he wasn't the type of guy who was good for her right now and after five dates she would have no reason to see him again. But it was so _her_ to fall for a guy who wasn't good for her. It was the story of her life. She had fallen for the wrong guy at fifteen. She had done it again at nineteen, and then again at twenty-six. So she sure as hell was not going to do it now at thirty-eight. She was more than aware that her biological clock was rapidly ticking.

She took a deep breath. She just had to get through these four other dates and everything in her life could go back to the way that it was before Mick Rawson. Four dates where she would do what she did best, compartmentalize, and after that she would be fine.

After thinking all of these various points through, she still hadn't decided whether or not she would kiss him. On the one hand, she wanted to and on the other, she knew she shouldn't. There was also the fact that her stubborn side didn't want to kiss him because she didn't want to put that grin on his face and have him think that the next three dates were going to be a walk in the park on the way to one of their beds.

However, she didn't have time to think about anything else due to the knock on her door. She quickly glanced at her watch and was impressed to see that he was on time tonight.

Apparently he was impressed with himself too because his first words when she opened the door were, "I'm on time."

"I'll give you a gold star," she told him sarcastically.

He laughed at her retort and pulled another box of chocolates out of the pocket of his leather jacket. "Another gift for you," he smiled.

"Thank you," she smiled back. She couldn't help it; the chocolates were to die for. She had indulged in the last box Wednesday night while watching a TV movie.

She grabbed her jacket and purse before stepping out into the hallway. She took a moment before locking her apartment to discreetly size him up. He was wearing dark jeans again but tonight he had decided to pair it with a burgundy, button-down shirt under his leather jacket. His jaw was littered with a day's worth of stubble and she realized that she liked the dressy, rumpled look on him. In that moment she decided that she hated him for looking so good and for bringing her delicious chocolate.

"You look great again," he said as they walked down the hallway. He had liked Monday night's jeans and sleeveless shirt but he liked tonight's black, knee length skirt and black, long-sleeved, v-neck top even more. "Its nice to see you in something other then a suit," he laughed.

"Are you jealous because you don't own a suit yourself?" She inquired teasingly.

He laughed as he shook his head, "Not really."

She laughed along with him and continued their carefree chat as he led her to another favourite neighborhood restaurant of hers. "You're about to compliment me on my taste in restaurants, right?" He asked smugly as he held the door open for her. She rolled her eyes and ignored him as she breezed past him into the restaurant.

After a great dinner, which he had paid for this time, he took her out for ice cream. She was almost as powerless to ice cream as she was to chocolate.

She grew apprehensive when, on their way back to her apartment, their conversation turned a little more serious. So far she had done a good job of keeping things fairly light. The times that their conversations had turned serious they had only discussed the stereotypical subjects of early dating like work, family, friends, and upbringing. Unfortunately for her, he had just asked the one question that she dreaded the most.

"So why haven't you settled down yet?"

She tried to laugh it off, "Well that's a very complicated question."

"Come on," he encouraged. "Why do you think that you haven't found the right guy and had kids?"

"Um," she took a second to gather her thoughts. If she was really going to answer that question then she was going to answer it right. "I guess when I was younger I was too busy. I had my ambitions and goals and a serious relationship didn't really fit into any of my plans. Now, the job has a lot to do with it," she admitted. "Most guys are scared away by the fact that I carry a gun. But," she stopped walking and bit down on her bottom lip, "I've kinda always scared guys off. If it's not the job then it's the money or my parents or the fact that I'm just a really big nerd." She chuckled a little before adding, "And I don't trust men easily because typically the ones that I don't scare off aren't with me for me. So there ya go," she said as she released a deep breath. "Those are the reasons why I haven't settled down."

Mick stood still in awe for a moment as she resumed walking. He hadn't expected her to be so brutally honest. She continually surprised him and he really liked that. He jogged to catch up with her so that he could say, "I wouldn't say that you're a really big nerd, just a regular nerd."

She laughed and playfully shoved his shoulder. She appreciated his successful attempt at lightening the mood. At least he was aware that women didn't particularly enjoy discussing their insecurities. "So, what about you?" She finally asked.

"You mean why hasn't a woman managed to tame me yet?" He rephrased with a grin.

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"I just haven't found the right combination yet," he replied sincerely. She raised an eyebrow in interest so he explained further. "I am yet to find a woman who I find attractive, who stimulates me mentally, and understands my job." She nodded in response; he made it sound so simple. "Oh! I forgot the most important quality."

"What's that?" She inquired curiously.

"She's gotta be great in the sack," he smirked.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? You're such a man."

"Yes I am," he smiled mischievously.

She was about to tell him off before she realized that they were back at her door. Their time together flew. "Thanks for dinner and dessert."

"No problem," he smiled. "Shall we go out again on Sunday?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "That'd be great."

"Can I pick you up at two?"

Her eyes widened a little, that was earlier then the minimum time allotted between dates according to their terms. "Yeah sure."

"I know what you're thinking," he stated as he leaned in towards her. "I just can't wait to see you again."

His face was dangerously close to hers for the second date in a row except this time she didn't have a clever ploy to lead him on and then shut him down. So when his lips met hers, she kissed him back. It was slow, soft, and completely innocent yet it left her flushed and breathless.

"Goodnight Emily," he said quietly as he stepped back from her.

At the end of this night the tables had been reversed and she was the one stuttering. "Mm, uh yeah, goodnight." She fished her keys out of her purse quickly and practically fell inside of her home. She knew that she was in trouble now.

**A/N: Leave me your thoughts please! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I have been busy getting back into the swing of school and then I had a big bash for my birthday, etc. lol. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story thus far. Now, on with the update...**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 4 - Coward **

Emily repetitively tapped the end of her pen against the current file that she was working on as she sat at her desk in the BAU bullpen. She didn't want to look at anymore paperwork and almost wished that they would get called out on a case so that she didn't have to. It was a Monday morning and they had just finished going through another case in the conference room and so far nothing was pressing enough for them to be called out. So it looked like it would be paperwork for her for the rest of the day.

"Hey, are you okay?" Reid asked tentatively from his desk.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine, just sick of paperwork."

"Me too," he agreed with a nod.

"Hey Em, looks like you've got a visitor," JJ announced with a grin as she whizzed past her two teammates on her way to Hotch's office.

"A visitor?" Reid asked in confusion.

Emily was just as puzzled as Reid. It's not like any of them were used to having people come into the BAU to see them, at least not for good reasons. She looked towards the doors of the bullpen and froze. It was Mick. He was dressed in his usual jeans and leather jacket. He wore his racer's gloves today and carried a motorcycle helmet in his hand. "Damn," she muttered to herself. She did not want to see him right now.

After their second date, she had decided that kissing was no longer an option. Only bad, regrettable things would stem from them kissing again. So she had given him a bit of the cold shoulder on Sunday when they had gone out on their third date. Well, as much of a cold shoulder as she could muster considering that he had been incredibly sweet, which was a side of him that she hadn't seen before. They had gone out for coffee and then he had taken her to an animal shelter.

Emily Prentiss had never been the type of girl who fell for romance. She had always felt that most typical romantic gestures were outdated and manufactured. She liked it when men weren't busy with trying to be romantic and could actually be themselves, and act _real_. She didn't like flashy people or flashy things. She liked the simple things, and that's why a trip to an animal shelter to help Mick pick out a puppy had practically melted her. She hadn't been able to get into her apartment fast enough because the desire to kiss him had been so strong.

She wasn't used to dating someone who's as adept at reading people's behaviour as she is. She knew that he had already explained to himself her reasons for at least some of the bizarre things that she was doing and he was probably showing up at the BAU so that she had to talk to him civilly and not ignore his calls and text messages like she had been doing. She was being a coward and she knew it but she told herself that it was for her own good.

Unfortunately, she had to face him now.

"'Ello," he smiled at her warmly. "Dr. Reid," he acknowledged politely.

"Hey Mick," she answered as she stood. "What's going on?"

"I was hoping that you could do me a favour."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Depends on what it is."

He chuckled, "It's for a case we're looking into."

"Oh." He wanted her for a work favour. She wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that he wasn't here for personal reasons. "Yeah sure," she answered after clearing her throat. "What is it?"

He pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded the piece of paper and scanned the half page, typewritten, Spanish note. "Since you've been everywhere and speak every language," he laughed.

"She speaks seven languages," Reid gladly chimed in.

Mick laughed at the oblivious genius. "Yeah, well, I figured that you'd be able to tell where the sender is from."

"Yeah, definitely," she nodded. She looked back at her desk for a moment before adding, "I'm in the middle of a file right now so give me a little while."

"Sure. I'll just hang out," he grinned happily.

"Just don't hover," she warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He continued to grin at her before he spun around and exited the bullpen.

* * *

Two hours later, Emily had finished the file that she had been working on, analyzed Mick's note, and eaten lunch. Now she was wondering where the hell he was. She had said that she needed a 'little while', not the whole frickin' morning! She rolled her eyes when he came strutting into the bullpen…with Morgan at his side. Well that was the last thing that she expected. They were laughing and carrying on and acting very friendly towards each other. Mick already had Garcia and JJ wrapped around his finger, she couldn't have him gain another ally on her side.

"'Ello lovely," he smiled as he approached her desk.

"Hey," she replied. "Did you two just run into each other?" She asked nosily.

"No," Morgan laughed. "We ran into each other earlier and just got back from lunch."

Emily's eyes shot to Mick's and she widened them dramatically. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Mick responded quickly. "And I just got invited to Morgan's birthday bash."

If possible, Emily's eyes widened even further. "Oh really?" She repeated. Morgan's birthday was tomorrow and if they didn't get called out on a case, they were all going out after work to celebrate. Birthdays, New Year's Eve, and the Super Bowl were really the only times that they all went out together. When they went out after a tough case usually at least one of them was missing from the group. Either JJ or Hotch stayed at the office, Morgan had a date, or Reid decided to have some time to himself. Inviting an outsider to go out with them was incredibly rare; they had only ever made exceptions for Haley, Will, and Kevin. Her own team was plotting against her, that's what it came down to in her mind.

Morgan easily sensed the freak-out that his friend was about to have so he decided to make himself scarce. "Well I need to get back to the mountain of files on my desk. See ya tomorrow night Mick."

"Yeah, see ya Morgan," he called out. He then sat down on the edge of Emily's desk and looked at her with a large, smirk on his face. "You look great today by the way," he complimented. He may have teased her about the suits that she wore to work but she looked very sleek and striking in them…very workplace fantasy. But apparently compliments would get him nowhere because she was giving him a stern, unpleasant look. "What's that look for?" He asked laughing.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked in a hushed tone with obvious disbelief in her voice.

"Just getting to know your friends," he answered innocently.

"Right," she replied with a roll of her eyes before she changed the subject. "I'm finished with your note," she declared as she handed it back to him.

"And?" He inquired curiously.

"Your sender was born and raised in Chile, or at least has parents who are both Chilean immigrants." She returned to her work and attempted to ignore his presence. She had granted him the favour so now he could be on his way. However, in true Mick Rawson fashion he stayed exactly where he was just to irritate her. "What else do you want?" She sighed.

"Chile, huh?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I spent a summer there when I was eighteen." She turned to look at him and didn't expect him to be as close to her as he was. "You could have just brought that note to language analysis, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he grinned. "Just an excuse to see you." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before he whispered, "Did you not have a good time on Sunday?"

Emily quickly scanned the bullpen. She really did not want to have this conversation with any of her coworkers around. Luckily, mostly everyone, including Reid who occupied the desk directly across from hers, was gone for lunch. "No, I did have a good time," she assured him.

"Okay," he smiled. "Then why are you acting so dodgy around me?"

"Dodgy," she chuckled. "You are so British."

"And you haven't been answering my calls," he added sadly.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Listen Mick, its complicated and I'd prefer not to talk about it here. Later?" She pleaded desperately.

"Tonight?" She nodded. "Okay, then I will call you tonight."

"Okay," she breathed. She gave him a weak smile as he discreetly brushed her hand with his own in what was meant as a reassuring gesture.

"Have a good day Emily," he said before leaving.

* * *

Emily had just finished putting a load of laundry in the washer when an unexpected knock sounded at her door. She looked through the peephole and was surprised to see that Mick was standing outside her door. She pulled open her door quickly. "Hey, I thought that you said you were going to call?"

"Yeah, I did," he nodded. "But then I realized that I didn't want to say what I have to say over the phone. Can I come in?"

"Yeah." She stepped aside to allow him into her apartment and uncomfortably looked down at what she was wearing, a red tank top and tiny, black gym shorts. "Just let me go put on pants," she mumbled.

He had a comment about how her current attire was perfectly fine with him but he decided against saying it. "Okay," he laughed as he watched her run up the stairs. He stood in her kitchen and curiously looked around the rest of her flat. She had a great place with a great view. It was certainly different, a little more upscale than his little house across town. He now fully understood what she said about guys being scared away by her money. The building that she lived in, the car that was parked in her space, and some of the clothes that she wore, all screamed that she had money, even though that was not her intention. That could intimidate many men but not him; he saw it as a very worthwhile challenge. _She_ was a very worthwhile challenge.

She came back down the stairs wearing a pair of old jeans. "Before you say anything," she began. "I want to apologize for acting like a bitch on Sunday and for not taking your calls."

He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "Apology accepted. I understand why you did it. I just want you to let your guard down around me and I know that's hard because you don't like revealing things about yourself and…"

She stopped him from saying anything further, "Don't profile me Mick."

"Sorry, force of habit," he apologized. "So what I want to say to you is that I don't pursue women, women pursue me. I've never chased a woman in my life and I'm chasing you like crazy, and maybe in the beginning it was because I find you incredibly attractive, and maybe because I wanted to get into your pants." He chuckled lightly as he realized how that must have sounded. "I'm just being honest that that's why I started chasing you. I'm _still_ chasing you because I've never met anyone like you."

"Mick, don't say anything else," she interrupted. Mick Rawson didn't seem like the type of guy to stop by a woman's house and pour his heart out so the fact that he was doing that for her scared her a little bit. He seemed serious and if he really was serious about her then all her theories about why he wasn't good for her flew out the window.

He stepped towards her as he declared, "I just want you to give me a real chance, like you did on our second date. I thought that that was a brilliant date," he grinned.

She couldn't help but laugh because she knew that he was referring to their kiss. "Yeah, it was a good date."

They were standing so close together now and she was pressed up against her kitchen counter with nowhere to go. He smelled wonderful and masculine, sort of like pine chips. "You practically ran away when I tried to kiss you on Sunday," he whispered.

"I know and I'm sorry," she replied with a small, awkward chuckle. "It's just that…"

"You're scared," he finished. She simply nodded in response. That particular phrase was a very hard one for her to say, and it always had been. "Come on," he laughed softly. "We both know that if anything bad happens here then it will be you breaking my heart. Just let your guard down a little," he encouraged.

She grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in so that she could kiss him. "Fine," she murmured after pulling back from a long kiss. "I will and we'll really date…like a couple." She practically cringed while saying the word couple; it seemed like such a juvenile term.

"And I can tell that you're crazy about that idea," he laughed.

"Can you shut up for like five minutes?" She asked in annoyance.

"Sure," he responded with a grin. "I can definitely shut up for five minutes."

As she had expected, his idea of shutting up was frantically kissing against her kitchen counter. One of his hands was in her hair and the other was wrapped around her waist while her arms were snaked around his neck. "Oh," she began breathlessly as he kissed down her neck. "I should tell you now that you are not, as you so eloquently put it, getting into my pants tonight."

He chuckled against her skin and his hot breath sent a shiver down her spine. "What about getting up your shirt?"

"Your chances are slim," she replied teasingly. "In fact, you should leave right now. We both have work tomorrow." She started to push him backwards but he simply pulled her along with him. "Mick, come on," she laughed. "We'll see each other tomorrow night."

"Okay," he conceded with a loud sigh. He kissed her again before telling her to have a good night. "You're a very cruel woman," he added with a smile as he slipped out the door.

She laughed as she ran a hand through her hair. _Now_ she was in trouble because she was actually dating Mick Rawson.

**A/N: Leave me your thoughts please! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Some of you are very intense about this story and I appreciate that, its very flattering. **

**So I would like to take a moment to draw your attention towards the Profiler's Choice CM Awards 2010. More info here: http:/forum(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/topic/74868/30888142/1/ Many of you have written that my characterization of Emily Prentiss is spot on so maybe you should consider nominating me for an award. *Shameless advertising* Lol.**

**Anyways...to the update! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 5 – A Little Black Dress and a Yale Sweatshirt**

Emily walked into Garcia's office and sighed in relief as she saw that JJ was in the room as well. "Good, you're both here." She had raced to work this morning hoping that her two best friends would be in early and they did not disappoint.

Both blondes spun around to face the brunette. JJ had come to Garcia's office to get her to look into the cases of three missing women in Boise, Idaho but they definitely needed to take a minute to talk to Emily. She looked stressed and frazzled, and it was not a familiar look for her. "What's wrong?" Garcia asked in concern.

"I'm stressing out," Emily replied as she began to pace the room with fidgeting hands. JJ and Garcia both knew that that was a classic nervous habit of Emily's.

"We can see that," JJ said hesitantly. "So what's going on?"

"I am seriously second guessing something that I did last night," she confessed in a rush of words.

Garcia and JJ exchanged mischievous looks of intrigue. They desperately hoped that it was about Mick Rawson since they weren't allowed to talk about him anymore. That didn't stop them from talking _to him_ though. They were still slipping him subtle tips on how to woo Emily and they had been positively giddy when he had shown up at the BAU yesterday. Unfortunately, neither of them had been able to eavesdrop on any of his conversations with Emily. "Do tell," JJ encouraged.

"I agreed to seriously date Mick. I may have thrown around the word couple and we may have made out, just a little," she added for clarification. There was a long period of silence that Emily did not see coming. "Neither of you have an opinion on this?" She inquired sceptically.

"So, we're allowed to talk about Mick now?" Garcia questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Emily replied while rolling her eyes.

"Well, in that case." Garcia squealed excitedly before she came back down to earth. "Wait! What are you second guessing? That sounds fantastic! Was the kissing good?"

"Yeah, it was great," she answered offhandedly. "That's beside the point."

"So what's the point then?" JJ probed.

"I don't know if the right time for me to get into a relationship is now," she confessed. "I don't know if it's a good idea to be a part of a _couple_, especially with Mick Rawson," she added.

Garcia laughed, "You really hate that word don't ya? Couple?"

"At my age, I feel like all of the words that I used to describe my love life in my twenties should be out of my vocabulary," she answered.

"At your age," Garcia repeated with a scoff. "Pheff, shut up! It's not like you're about to turn to dust."

"Arguable," Emily chuckled.

"Anyway," JJ interrupted. "You're dating Mick and he's perfect for you, there is nothing wrong with this situation." She raised her hand to stop Emily from talking as she opened her mouth to protest. "No, there is nothing to second guess because you told him these things for a reason. Just relax."

"When are you seeing him again?" Garcia asked.

"Tonight!" She exclaimed in panic. "Morgan invited him out with us."

"Ooh, wear that little, black dress," Garcia grinned.

Emily stared at her friend in utter amazement. "You're seriously giving me advice on my wardrobe right now?"

"Cuz it's the only thing that's gonna get her laid if she keeps this up," JJ muttered so that only Garcia could hear.

The technical analyst burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and Emily narrowed her eyes. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," JJ lied. "Listen, we'll come over after work and I dunno, give you a pep talk, whatever you need."

Emily took a deep breath. "Okay, thanks guys. I'm going to go back to my desk now. See ya later."

* * *

The so called pep talk did not work…at all. Emily was still fidgety, nervous, and extremely apprehensive. Mostly, she rambled about her past failures with men and rummaged through her large, walk-in closet as Garcia and JJ sat on her bed and patiently listened like good friends. They had offered words of encouragement and reassurance but they had gone in through one ear and out the other. They had, however, successfully persuaded Emily to wear the little, black dress and she looked amazing. Her hair was cascading down her back in soft curls, her makeup was smoky and alluring, and her heels were brand new.

Despite the fact that she looked like a total babe and turned heads as soon as they walked into the bar, she headed straight for the bartender.

"Uh oh," Garcia whispered to JJ.

JJ nodded in agreement. "Let's at least try to keep her from getting completely trashed tonight. She'll be mortified in the morning."

"I don't think that I've ever seen her this anxious," Garcia commented.

"Yeah, she's never gotten like this for any other guy," JJ replied with a small smirk.

They found the remainder of the team, along with Kevin, sitting at a table near the back. Garcia greeted her boyfriend affectionately while Morgan looked up at JJ expectantly. "Where's Will?" He questioned.

"Oh he volunteered to stay home with Henry instead of scrambling for a babysitter last minute," she answered sadly.

"And where's Emily?" Rossi figured that the three ladies had arrived together yet the brunette was nowhere to be seen.

"At the bar," JJ replied with her eyebrows raised.

"Ah," Rossi chuckled. It looked like the team was in for an encore of the night they spent in Las Vegas.

"Hey guys," Emily smiled as she approached the table carrying two beers. She placed one down in front of Morgan and kissed him jokingly on the top of the head. "Happy birthday," she said for the second time today.

"Aww," he grinned. "Thanks Princess." He blatantly looked her up and down and waggled his eyebrows playfully. "You look super hot tonight."

"Shut up Morgan," she reprimanded with a laugh. "What do you guys want to drink?" She asked JJ and Garcia since the men at the table all had drinks in front of them. They quickly gave her their drink orders and she headed back to the bar. She had been standing at the bar mere minutes when she felt two large hands land on her hips. "Morgan, I swear to God," she warned with a chuckle.

She was startled, to say the least, when a voice with a distinct British accent spoke in her ear. "Morgan? Well that's disconcerting."

She spun around to face him and stumbled through a reply. "Hey Mick, sorry Morgan and I were just…well, we were…well actually he was…how are you?" She resisted the urge to smack her forehead. That was the most inarticulate response she had ever given anyone in her life.

"I'm good," he laughed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm fine."

"You look unbelievable," he told her.

She smiled but tensed up when he leaned in to kiss her. She was not big on public displays of affection, especially when she was feeling this nervous and uneasy. She subtly turned her head so that he caught the corner of her mouth. As a result the kiss was short and chaste and she immediately pulled away from his embrace afterwards. She decided to quickly change the subject. "Everybody is over there," she pointed awkwardly before grabbing JJ and Garcia's drinks.

He followed her to a table and friendlily greeted her friends. "'Ello everyone, and happy birthday Morgan."

"Thanks man," Morgan smiled.

Mick smiled back as he took a seat. He liked Morgan, he was a good bloke, but he certainly didn't like the idea of him flirting with Emily, which was what he was currently doing. He was so preoccupied with studying Morgan's behaviour towards his…he wasn't sure what she would refer to herself as but he was going to say girlfriend, that he hadn't realized that he had sat down next to JJ until she spoke. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Good," he smiled. "You?"

"Good," she nodded. "Uh, she's just a little freaked out," she whispered.

He glanced at Emily and saw that she was now deeply involved in a conversation with Reid. "Yeah, I can tell." He removed his jacket, hung it on the back of his chair, and scratched his head as he thought of how to phrase his next question. "You've known her longer then I have so…"

JJ cut him off, "She likes you, she's just nervous about the idea of a relationship."

He nodded and smiled to himself. He felt reassured and now he wanted to ease Emily's nerves. He slipped out of his seat and walked around the table. "Can I steal her for a second?" He directed his question towards Reid.

"Um, yeah, sure," the younger man answered timidly.

Mick gently grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her out of her chair. "Can we talk outside?" He asked quietly. She simply nodded so he led her out the front door. Once they were out of sight, he tugged her towards him and kissed her intensely. "I _really_ like you."

"I like you too," she whispered back. She was practically shocking herself by how honest she had been with Mick over the past couple of weeks. She usually wasn't this open, especially with men. She didn't pull away from his embrace, this time she stayed close to him and only a small part of it was due to the fact that it was quite chilly outside. She had a terrible habit of over thinking things and that's exactly what she had done with Mick. She really did like him so it was only fair to pursue things between them until her mind changed…if her mind changed.

"Just loosen up a little," he encouraged with a smile. "There's no pressure here. I just want you to be yourself, remember?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've just been a stressed out mess lately."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "Just relax."

"God, you sound just like JJ," she laughed.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he grinned. "Come on, let's go back inside."

They walked back inside the bar and returned to the table where the rest of the BAU sat. Mick chatted with everyone and really fit in quite well. He didn't have anything to drink because he was driving. Emily, on the other hand, had decided that a few beers would be the best way to speed up the relaxation process. Unfortunately she had lost track of exactly how much she had had to drink. The first clue that she was intoxicated was when Morgan had managed to drag her onto the dance floor. The BAU knew that under no circumstances did Emily dance unless she was drunk. She claimed to have two left feet.

"Hey," JJ spoke in Mick's ear. "I'm leaving now." She was catching a ride home with Hotch since both agents longed to see their children. "I trust you to take care of her." Garcia, Kevin, and Rossi had already left and Morgan was currently occupied by an attractive blonde, which left Reid and Emily adamantly debating the merits of various novelists and poets.

"Yeah I'll get her home safe and sound," he laughed.

"Okay thanks. Be a gentleman," JJ warned before she left.

"Faulkner is one of the most renowned American authors of the twentieth century!" Emily yelled at Reid.

"I know! I know! But what I'm saying is that in comparison to Hemmingway he falls short." Reid replied in a fury of words.

Before Emily could reply, Mick wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up out of her chair. "Okay nerd, I think that its time to get you home."

She laughed as she gripped his shoulder for support. Stiletto heels were not a wise choice tonight. "Okay," she conceded easily. "Goodnight Reid." She playfully ruffled his hair as she walked by.

When they reached the parking lot, Mick realized that taking his bike tonight was a bad idea. Not only had Emily previously told him about her dislike for motorcycles but she was wearing a dress and heels. Though to his credit, he hadn't anticipated bringing her home tonight.

Her small sound of delight caught him by surprise. "This is your bike?" He nodded. "It's hot." He owned a sleek, black, BMW motorcycle that he loved and apparently a part of Emily did too. He blamed the alcohol. Apparently being intoxicated was the exceptional circumstance that Emily had mentioned would get her on his bike.

He helped her into his jacket so that she wouldn't get cold and he helped her with putting on the extra helmet that he travelled with. He advised her to hold on tight before he sped out into the street.

The last time that Emily had been on a motorcycle she had been twenty and she had forgotten how exhilarating it could be. It was just fun and she hadn't had a lot of fun in her life recently. Her bare legs got a little cold but it was a small price to pay.

Mick parked in front of Emily's building after the roughly fifteen minute drive from the bar. He helped her off of the bike since he expected her to be a bit wobbly on her feet. "So how was that?" He asked smirking as she removed her helmet.

"A rush," she smiled.

He walked her to her door and she pulled him inside without words. She wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly pressed her mouth against his. "Thanks for bringing me home," she whispered.

"Not a problem," he replied.

She slowly removed his leather jacket and handed it to him. "Thanks." She gave him a seductive smile as she walked towards her staircase. "Do you want to come upstairs Mick?"

Well he thought that the answer to that question was pretty obvious. Of course he wanted to go upstairs with her! She looked drop dead gorgeous in that black, strapless dress. He was most certainly a legs man and he had been looking at her long, lean, incredible legs all night. The real question was could he go upstairs with her when he realized how drunk she was while he was stone cold sober? And the answer to that was no. His conscious wouldn't allow him to do anything with her right now without an intense amount of guilt. He would, however, make sure that she safely got herself into bed. He quickly found a clean glass in her kitchen and filled it with water before following her up the stairs.

She led him into her bedroom and he placed the glass on her nightstand. "This is the first time since we've met that you haven't been all over me so I'm a little concerned."

He took both of her hands and pulled her into him. He chuckled, "Emily, you're far too drunk and I'm far too sober for anything to happen tonight."

"I'll be fine. I'm a grown woman," she argued.

"Believe me, I know," he laughed.

"Then what's your problem?" She asked as she ran her fingers along the back of his neck.

He grinned cockily as he replied, "I want you to be able to remember every detail when I get you into bed and blow your mind."

"So arrogant," she replied. "You better not be overcompensating with that ego, sniper rifle, and motorcycle of yours."

He laughed loudly. "You have nothing to worry about." She raised an eyebrow in challenge and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Now go get ready for bed."

"I'm gonna hold ya to that," she promised as she let go of his hands and began to walk towards her bathroom.

Mick groaned and ran a hand over his face as he watched her walk away. He couldn't decide if he felt like the world's most chivalrous gentleman or the world's biggest idiot.

* * *

Emily awoke the next morning before her alarm went off and with a splitting headache. Her only memories from last night after she had drank one too many beers was Mick taking her home on his motorcycle and changing into her favourite, oversized, Yale sweater before crawling into bed. She opened her eyes and saw a tall glass of water and two Tylenol on her nightstand. Mick had forethought, she liked that.

She forced herself out of bed after swallowing the pills and finishing off the glass of water. She slowly padded downstairs and the smell of fresh coffee caught her off guard. She thought for a moment about going back upstairs and grabbing her gun but then considered the fact that a petty criminal probably wouldn't take the time to make breakfast.

"And she looks good in the morning too!" Mick announced cheerily from his spot in her kitchen, next to her stove.

She ran a hand through her long hair as she huffed; she definitely looked like a mess. "What are you doing here? And why are you so awake?"

He ignored her grumpy, early morning questioning and commented with a grin. "Yale, huh?" He had wanted to ask her about her college sweater last night but by the time she had emerged from the bathroom, she had been eager to climb into bed and go to sleep.

"Go bulldogs," she replied sleepily.

He laughed before answering her previous question. "I crashed on your couch," he explained. She looked and saw that he was in fact wearing the dark jeans and black, button-up shirt that he had worn the night before. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing his muscles forearms, and his hair was a mess. He looked good in the morning too. "And I awoke early to make you breakfast."

Her lips twitched upwards into a small smile and she felt herself actually waking up. "That's sweet."

"Well I can be sweet," he quickly defended.

She chuckled as she walked towards him and gently kissed his cheek. "And thanks for the Tylenol and water." She looked down at her stovetop and saw that not only was he frying bacon; he was making French toast as well. He was spot on with what she liked when it came to food and she loved a man who could cook. "Mmm, French toast is my favourite."

"I know. JJ and Garcia tell me things," he explained with a devilish smile.

Emily chuckled; she should have known that they were helping him in some fashion. "I really need to have a word with those two." She retrieved a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. She turned back towards him and nervously bit down on her bottom lip. "Thanks for taking care of me last night. Not exactly my finest moment," she admitted.

"Well I didn't take care of you in the way we both would have liked," he grinned. "You were practically begging me to ravish you last night."

Well, she did not remember that! "In your dreams! I did not do that," she stated in disbelief.

He nodded and smiled smugly. "Yes, you did."

After getting over the initial embarrassment of his statement she simply shrugged nonchalantly. "I was _really_ drunk and I am a woman who hasn't had sex in almost eleven months."

Mick almost dropped the spatula that he was holding. "You're joking right?"

She shook her head as she sipped her coffee. "No, I'm not. What? You can't imagine going without it for that long?" She asked teasingly.

"Well, there's that," he replied honestly. "But mostly I know that you have no shortage of men falling all over you."

"And how do you know that?" She questioned in challenge.

"Come on, look at you!" And he did just that. His eyes ran from her bare feet up to her gorgeous eyes. He was almost perplexed by the fact that she looked just as sexy this morning after rolling out of bed as she had last night when she had been perfectly done up.

She almost blushed from his blatantly obvious staring. "First of all, I don't have men falling all over me and I told you, I scare men off."

"Yeah, but I mean some blokes just don't care about that stuff, right? Like a guy who hits on you in a bar and makes his intentions very clear isn't bothered by the fact that you love Kurt Vonnegut and have a disturbingly large foreign film collection."

She chuckled at him, but he did make perfect sense and there was a very good reason why she didn't get involved with those kind of guys…anymore. "I don't do one night stands."

"Really?" He asked bewildered.

She nodded, "Not since I was twenty-four."

"Wow," he mused quietly. "That's impressive."

"Thanks," she laughed. "So I take it that you do?" She honestly didn't care what his answer was. In their line of work it was hard to keep a relationship together and sometimes, after a tough case, it's hard not to crave the physical comfort of someone, anyone. The BAU had certainly made her personal rule of not participating in one night stands difficult.

"Sometimes," he answered truthfully. There was a small moment of comfortable silence between them before he chuckled and grinned mischievously at her. "Let's get back to the topic of your lack of sexual activity for the last eleven months."

"Later," she grinned back. "Or else you're going to burn my breakfast."

**A/N: Review please! And check out the CM awards! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing and all I can say about the delay in posting is that I've been super busy with life. Lol. So enjoy the update and remember that it is un-betaed. This story will probably have 10 chapters! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

_Previously… _

"_Let's get back to the topic of your lack of sexual activity for the last eleven months."_

"_Later," she grinned back. "Or else you're going to burn my breakfast."_

**Chapter 6 – Late Night Conversations**

Later turned out to be right after they had eaten breakfast but there wasn't much talking involved at all. Mick sat on Emily's sofa with her straddling his lap. Her elbows rested on his shoulders and her hands were in his hair. Her own hair fell like a long, raven curtain between them and the rest of her living room. His large hands, calloused from firing countless rounds over the years, caressed the soft skin of her thighs that wasn't covered by her sweater. He couldn't stop touching her legs. He pulled back from a long, deep kiss and breathed heavily in her ear. He raised a hand to cup her jaw and thread his fingers through her hair. "I'm trying to decide what I like more," he stated as they locked eyes.

She pulled back a little so that she could see his entire face and raised an eyebrow at him. "If you say my tits or my ass, I swear to God Mick," she fiercely warned.

He laughed, "I was going to say your skin or your hair. Give me a little credit."

"Well I apologize for doubting your character," she said sarcastically.

"And your apology sounds so sincere," he laughed jokingly as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her body even closer to his. He hadn't realized how small and slender she was before this morning. There were no heels, no gun, and no business suit. She looked utterly feminine and slightly fragile; it was a totally different side of her. "Your skin," he spoke against her lips, "is so bloody soft." She responded with a pleasant humming sound that sent his blood rushing below his belt.

They were both startled out of a kiss when they heard the radio blaring from upstairs. "It's my alarm," Emily explained. "Which means that its time for me to shower and get ready for work, and you should probably get back to your place and do the same."

"Let's call in sick," Mick proposed excitedly. He could think of nothing that he would rather do then spend the entire day right here on Emily's couch, and maybe even in her bed.

She laughed, "I can't do that."

"I can. I'll call Cooper right now." He reached for his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans but she bet him to it. "Quick hands," he grinned. She hopped to her feet and tugged her sweater down over her butt. He groaned loudly as his eyes followed her towards the staircase. "Emily, you are an incredible tease."

She laughed as she walked back into the living room and leaned over the back of her sofa. She kissed him softly before saying, "I am not a tease; I just like to arrive at work on time." She dropped his cell phone into his lap and warned with a grin, "Don't call in sick."

He grabbed her outstretched hand and entwined their fingers. He stroked the top of her hand with his free one and smiled invitingly. "Come back to the couch Emily."

She looked down at him and observed the perfect, puppy dog eyes that he was giving her as she contemplated his offer. She could forego a shower since she had done that last night and that would save her at least twenty minutes when she took into account how long it took to dry her hair. Her inner time calculations were interrupted with another loud groan from Mick. "What?" She asked with a small laugh.

"Do you know what habit you have that's extremely distracting?" She shook her head. "You bite and lick your bottom lip."

She chuckled, she was aware that she did that but the only person who had ever commented on it was her mother. It had been another thing that her mother had harassed her about doing, just another bad habit she had had as a teenager. "And it's distracting?"

"Very," he replied huskily.

She opened her mouth to reply but he pulled her over the back of her sofa and back down into his lap. He kissed her hungrily and she didn't have the time to scold herself for squealing like a teenage girl at his playful behaviour.

* * *

Emily walked into the BAU bullpen, on time, wearing black slacks and a long-sleeved, purple shirt. Her black suit jacket was folded over her arm and her bag was slung over her shoulder. Her hair was perfectly straightened and she carried her usual cup of coffee. She looked exactly the same as she did every other morning. The only perceptible difference was the large grin on her face. She felt younger, lighter, and in an overall better mood. And a man hadn't managed to make her feel that way in a long time.

She only had time to sit down at her desk and finish her coffee before Hotch came out of his office and called for everyone to meet in the round table room. He sounded urgent, so they must have a case.

When she walked into the conference room, she received a snicker from Rossi. "How are you feeling this morning Emily?"

Morgan laughed along with the older man but Emily took it all in stride. She was in too good of a mood this morning not to. "I am feeling great. What about you Morgan? Did you bring home the blonde?"

She was pleased to see that that comment and JJ walking into the room, accompanied by Garcia, shut him up very quickly.

They began the case briefing but were interrupted by Reid. They had started a little earlier then usual this morning. Hotch's comment on Reid's new, impromptu haircut caused them all to laugh and have a carefree moment before they all got back to being serious.

Garcia and JJ went through the rest of the important details of the case before they gathered up their files and prepared to leave for the airstrip. They were headed to Boise, Idaho.

* * *

By the time the BAU had been able to retire to their hotel rooms to catch a little rest, Emily was incredibly tired. She hadn't gotten the chance to eat much today so she was also physically drained. Between the all coffee diet and little sleep, no wonder she had lost so much weight since joining the BAU.

She had just slipped on some clothes after getting out of the shower when her cell phone rang. She figured that it wasn't a BAU related call since her whole team were in their respective rooms down the hall. She actually smiled when her caller ID showed that it was Mick who was calling her.

"Hello," she answered with a smile.

"_What are you wearing?"_

She rolled her eyes; of course he would open with that question. "What would you say if I said that I was wearing nothing?" She asked teasingly.

"_I'd say that I'm leaving my place right now."_

She laughed, "Sorry, I'm in Idaho."

"_Idaho?"_ He sounded genuinely surprised. _"I didn't even hear that you guys got called out."_

"Yeah, and its an unsub who uses social networking websites to find his victims."

"_Huh, interesting."_ He mused quietly.

She wanted to say that it was incredibly frightening but she didn't want to think about work for a little while so she changed the subject of conversation. "So it's pretty late in D.C., what are you doing? Better question," she laughed, "is what were you doing calling me?"

"_Booty call, obviously."_ He laughed loudly before adding, _"No, I'm doing a little paperwork. Sleep is hard to come by in our line of work, ya know? And the puppy is up and running around my living room. I figured that you would be awake too."_

She smiled to herself. So he had decided to go back to the animal shelter and claim the lovable, Jack Russell Terrier puppy. "Have you decided on a name for the puppy?"

"_I was thinking Boxer."_

"Boxer?" Emily repeated in her best impersonation of a British accent.

He laughed, _"Yeah, what's wrong with Boxer?"_

"Nothing, I just think that it makes him sound like a gangbanger."

He laughed. _"Well if you have something better then be my guest, Agent Prentiss."_

She laughed…no she giggled, and she hardly ever giggled. What the hell was Mick Rawson doing to her? "No, if you like Boxer then I think that it's a great name."

"_So is there any way that I can talk you into getting a dog so that Boxer could have a playmate?"_

"I like dogs but I'm more of a cat person," she replied. She had played around with the idea of getting a cat that night on the streets of D.C. when JJ had first nagged her about calling Mick Rawson. In her mind, having a cat was the alternative to not having a man in her life, but maybe now she could have both.

"_We'll have to go back and pick out a cat for you then." _

"I'd like that," she answered with a soft laugh.

"_Hey, can I ask you a question?"_

Her eyebrows rose automatically. His voice had taken on a serious edge. "Yeah, sure."

"_Do you and Morgan always flirt like you did the other night?"_

"Umm." She paused for a moment to think, that was the last thing that she had expected him to inquire about. She had been innocently flirting with Morgan since she joined the BAU. It was practically second nature to her now. They both looked at it as harmless fun since they knew that nothing would ever happen between them. They worked well together and they were very close friends, nothing more. "Yeah, I guess that we do. "Why?" She smirked to herself. "Are you jealous?"

"_No! No, definitely not!"_ There was a brief silence. _"Well, maybe a little bit. You guys have never slept together have you?"_

"God no," she laughed. They had both stayed at each other's houses before, as friends, but nothing physical had ever happened between them. She thought about the reasons why he would ask her such a thing and the only possible reason would be if he had had a similar experience. "But you and Gina have, right?" She was aware that she had just profiled him but she didn't care at the moment.

"_Good profiler,"_ he sighed. _"Yeah, just the one time, it was right after we first met. Seems like a lifetime ago now." _

"So you just assumed that it happened with me and Morgan too?" She asked slightly offended. She didn't like it when people jumped to conclusions.

"_No! I just…oh bloody hell!"_ He stopped talking and breathed heavily into the phone. "_Sorry, I'm a jealous git who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. My curiosity was just getting the better of me."_ He chuckled softly before he apologized again. _"I'm sorry, forgive me?"_

She easily conceded. "You're forgiven. I've definitely done worse things then sleep with a colleague, although that's something I've never done." She had done quite a few things in her past that she wasn't proud of but a forbidden workplace romance was not one of them.

"_Wanna tell me about one?"_

She ran a hand through her damp hair. "I was nineteen, young and stupid, and I had an affair with an older, married man." She sighed loudly and fell back onto her bed.

"_How much older?"_

"He was thirty-two," she sighed. "The worst of it is that I knew that he was married and he treated me like dirt. It went on for five months before my roommate finally talked some sense into me."

She waited for him to respond and was surprised when he finally did. _"You deserve to be worshipped Emily."_

"Mick," she laughed humourlessly. "I did a terrible thing to a woman who didn't deserve to have her husband cheating on her and you're commenting on how he treated me, his mistress."

"_Because it's true,"_ he chuckled. _"And I think that half your problem is that you don't believe it. You don't think that you deserve to be happy. It's like you think you're paying for your past mistakes or something."_

She wasn't the only good profiler apparently. "Is this what dating another profiler is going to be like?" She joked.

He laughed along with her. _"I guess so. I'm serious though, you deserve everything you want."_

She replied softly, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind when the next guy comes along," she kidded.

"_You're so funny,"_ he answered with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

She laughed. "I know." This is what she liked the most about her relationship with Mick. It was so easy to joke and play around, and act completely carefree around him. It allowed her that little taste of humanity that she didn't always get from the job. She glanced at the clock sitting on the nightstand and groaned. "I should probably go and try to get a little sleep. I have an unsub to catch."

"_Yeah, I should probably try to sleep too. Good luck with your unsub. Oh! One question before you go."_

"What?" She asked curiously.

"_You're not actually naked right now, are you?"_

"No Mick," she laughed.

"_So what are you wearing?"_

"Underwear and a tank top," she answered quickly. "Now, goodnight Mick."

As she pulled the phone away from her ear, she laughed at what she heard him shout. _"Come on! Give me color, fabric, something!"_

* * *

Another gruesome case solved. She now felt stomach sick at the thought of checking her Facebook account. Another unsub caught, and an unsub that they would most definitely be interviewing in-depth later to attempt to understand his twisted motives. And another plane ride back to Quantico, Virginia. Emily was at the back of the plane, getting a cup of coffee, when JJ walked up behind her. "Hey," the blonde smiled pleasantly.

"Hey," Emily responded. "You're not sleeping?"

JJ shook her head. "Nah, too much paperwork."

Emily quickly looked around at the rest of her team. Hotch and Rossi were both napping, Morgan and Reid were sitting at the other end of the plane playing cards, and she had a book waiting for her. Everyone else was taking a break so JJ should too. "Take a break Jayge. You deserve it."

"Wow," JJ smiled broadly.

Emily turned towards her friend and took in the expression of pleasant disbelief on her face. "What is it?" She inquired.

"You've been in an unnaturally good mood since Wednesday morning," JJ declared happily.

"No, I haven't," she laughed.

"Yes, you have," JJ argued. "Is it Mick?" She asked excitedly.

"Probably," Emily admitted. "Nothing else in my life has changed."

"Well what happened? Tell me."

She thought about saying something along the lines of, 'It's my personal life and I want to keep it private.' After all, that's exactly what JJ had done when she had attempted to hide her relationship with Will from the team. But if it wasn't for JJ's badgering after San Francisco and her and Garcia's ambush in her own home then she wouldn't have called Mick back. Honestly, she owed JJ. "He stayed over Tuesday night, nothing happened," she clarified as she saw how thrilled JJ looked. "But he cooked me an amazing breakfast the next morning and we made out like teenagers on my couch for forty minutes. I've spoken to him on the phone every night that we've been on this case."

"That's sweet," JJ cooed.

"Do you know what the best part is?"

"What?" She asked with bated breath.

"He's so easy to talk to," Emily sighed in contentment. "I've never been able to talk to a guy like this before." She felt completely comfortable with being herself around Mick. She didn't have to put on a façade where she hid how much of a nerd she is or the nature of her job and she had never been able to act like that around a man before.

JJ's smile couldn't possibly get any wider. "That's great Em."

Emily smiled back at her friend and co-worker before something occurred to her that made her laugh. "Oh, and he told me about how you guys helped him with the restaurants and the chocolate, and everything."

"Guilty," the blonde shrugged.

"Well thanks for…everything," she said quietly.

"Anytime," JJ smiled. "And I hope that everything works out with Mick Rawson. Give me all the details on Monday." She grinned and winked before she walked back to the seat that she had been previously occupying. It was really nice to see Emily look so happy and knowing that she had something to do with it made her feel happier too.

**A/N: Review please, and I hope that all of my fellow Canadians had a good Thanksgiving! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :) FYI, this fic is nominated for a Criminal Minds fanfiction Award in the Best Unusual Pairing category so vote please! And enjoy the update. :)**

**P.S. I changed the rating to be safe.**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 7 – The First Time in a Long Time**

When they landed, Emily quickly turned down Morgan's offer to go out for a drink. She just wanted to go home, get a little bite to eat, and relax. And she wanted to see Mick. She hopped into her car and immediately pulled out her cell phone. She dialled Mick's cell number and smiled to herself when he answered on the second ring.

"_Have you gotten your unsub yet?"_

"Yes," she sighed in relief. "And we just landed so please tell me that you're in D.C."

"_A little anxious to see me?"_ He asked with a laugh.

"Not anymore," she teased back.

"_Okay,"_ he chuckled. _"I am in D.C. Are you hungry?"_

"Starving!"

"_Do you want to go out or stay in?"_

She pretended to think about it before she answered. "Stay in."

"_Brilliant. So I will pick up something and meet you at your place?"_

"Sounds great. I'll see you then." She ended the call and started her car.

Roughly thirty minutes later, she approached her apartment door and saw Mick leaning against the doorframe with a smile on his face. "Hey there," he grinned. "I brought Chinese," he declared as he held up the bag of takeout.

"Good choice," she replied with a smile. She pulled her keys out of the pocket of her suit jacket and unlocked her door. She stepped into her home and Mick followed her. "Make yourself at home; I just have to run upstairs for a second."

"Hey, come here," he called out softly. She spun around and looked at him curiously. He simply smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. He kissed her and then grinned happily. "Okay, now you can go upstairs."

She laughed and shook her head at him as she made her way up the stairs. She dropped her go bag off in the laundry room as it was mostly filled with dirty clothes. Next she went to her bedroom and tossed her suit jacket on the chair next to her window. She unsnapped her gun holster, unhooked her handcuffs from her belt, and laid both items on her bedside table. Finally, she slipped off her heels before walking back down the stairs. She saw that Mick had taken her message to make himself at home to heart. He had turned on her seldom used television to watch the FIFA World Cup. He had removed his shoes and leather jacket and was standing in her kitchen wearing jeans and a open, white button-down shirt over an old, Rolling Stones concert tee. He was busy taking the Chinese takeout out of boxes and placing it on two plates.

"You really did make yourself at home," she chuckled as she walked up to him.

"Well I'm already accustomed to your kitchen," he retorted.

"True," she replied. "It's just kinda weird to see a guy so comfortable in my home."

"So when was the last time you saw a guy comfortable in your home?" He inquired curiously.

"Oh, you wanna have this talk," she laughed as she walked towards her refrigerator.

He stopped emptying the cartons of Chinese food and angled his body so that he could face her; unfortunately she was back on to him. "Only if you want to," he responded timidly. Honestly, there were a lot of things that he wanted to talk about with her but he didn't want to scare her off by being so serious so soon. He had tried to not be overly aggressive, both physically and emotionally, but he knew that he had slipped up more then a few times, and he was terrified that she was going to run for the hills at any moment. It was incredibly frustrating because he had never felt this way about a woman before. "My last serious relationship was over a year ago, a few months before I moved to the States," he offered.

"Mine was a while ago too. Before I joined the BAU," she elaborated. "So like almost five years ago now. Wow." She laughed grimly and grabbed two beers from her fridge. She placed one on the counter of the island in front of him but he didn't acknowledge it. She expected him to make some joke about how terrible American beer tasted in comparison to what he could get in Britain. When she looked at him, he was frowning. She didn't think she had ever seen him frown before; he was usually either smiling or grinning. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, I was just thinking about the last case we had," he lied.

She gave him an encouraging smile and gently bumped his shoulder with her own. "Let's not talk about work and go watch soccer or whatever," she said as she made her way into the living room with her beer and plate of Chinese food in hand.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Emily," he sighed, "its football."

"Nope. I'm American; we call this," she pointed at her television, "soccer. American football is a real sport."

He laughed as he grabbed his own bottle of beer and plate and joined her on the couch. He wasn't going to waste his time sulking when she was in such a good mood. He wanted to have fun with her right now. The serious stuff would come with time, or at least he hoped so. He laid everything down on the coffee table and placed both of his hands dramatically over his heart. "Ouch, that hurt!"

She shrugged. "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings but it's true."

He shook his head in disagreement and chuckled. "You have a lot to learn Emily Prentiss."

She arched an elegant eyebrow. "Is that so?" She challenged.

He nodded and began to explain to her the finer points of _football_. She laughed at the majority of his statements and told him that he would have a more enthralled companion if he had this conversation with JJ.

Somehow, their conversation changed direction and he divulged the injuries that he had sustained thanks to a childhood and adolescence of football and rugby.

"So let me get this straight," she laughed. "You've broken your toes, six different fingers, your wrist, your nose…_twice_, and three ribs?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Not to mention the number of times I've pulled muscles in my back and sprained my ankles. Luckily, I didn't sustain any serious injuries to my feet, knees, or hands." He held up both of his hands and winked suggestively. "Real injuries come from real sports."

"Yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes. She took a sip from her beer and laid it down on her coffee table beside her empty dinner plate. "You're just trying to sound macho."

He laughed loudly. "Now why would I do that? I know that it's not going to impress you."

"You have no idea what impresses me," she replied seductively.

He leaned in closer towards her and responded, "Let me find out." He pressed his mouth against hers and prayed that she'd reciprocate. They hadn't discussed their morning make out session on her couch before her case in Idaho so he had no idea where they stood physically. But he hadn't been able to stop himself from kissing her any longer. They could only laugh and banter back and forth for so long before he felt overwhelmed. And with her hair pulled back into a ponytail her slender neck was on display and the black, long-sleeved shirt that she was wearing showed off her delicious cleavage. He was only a man after all.

He groaned when he felt her grab fistfuls of his hair and pulled him in closer. He was now practically lying on top of her. His tongue had just started to probe her mouth and one of her legs had just come up to wrap around his hips when the worst possible thing happened. A phone began to ring, his cell phone to be more specific. He felt like bursting into tears. He reluctantly pulled away from her and sat up. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his phone. His caller ID told him that it was Prophet.

"'Ello," he answered attempting to not sound frustrated and angry in case they were getting called in for a case.

"_Hey Mick, did you watch Germany's match today? I think they have a good shot at the Cup."_

He knew that he and Prophet talked football all the time and that he was bound to call to discuss today's matches but his friend had the worst timing in the world. "Prophet," he began incredulously. "You're calling to talk football? Now isn't a good time for me, and don't call me all weekend unless it's for a case."

"_Um, yeah, sure…wait, are you with Emily?"_

"Yes!"

"_Oh!"_ Prophet chuckled and Mick rolled his eyes. _"Sorry. Have fun."_

"Sod off," he grumbled before he snapped his phone shut and stuffed it back into his pocket. He turned back to Emily and smiled. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "As long as it's not a case." As she had watched him talk on the phone she had furiously chewed on her bottom lip and had thought about how disappointed she would be if he got called away on a case. She really liked him and she _really_ wanted to sleep with him. He understood the nature of her work. He understood that she could be called to fly across the country at any moment and he understood that to her the job was so much more then a pay check. He understood that she felt just as comfortable in a random hotel room as she did in her own home. He understood that the team was so much more to her then just her colleagues. And when he used the phrase, 'I understand', he wasn't faking it like so many other men. He just got her and she had never anticipated that it would make her feel this good.

"So where were we?" He asked with a smirk.

"I was about to ask if you wanted to go upstairs," she smiled.

* * *

They had barely made it into her bedroom. It was frantic and passionate.

"Wow," Mick panted as he lay on his back on Emily's _very_ comfortable bed.

"Yeah…wow," she agreed breathlessly. She was practically stunned into silence. A part of her had irrationally feared that Mick would be terrible in bed because he acted so arrogant, but he was anything but terrible. Sure, it had been a while since the last time that she had been with a man but she hadn't had sex that good in…well, ever. It had been incredible. She still felt like her whole body was on fire. She turned towards him and smiled, "I'll be right back." She pulled the thin, cream coloured sheet off of her bed and wrapped it around her body.

He watched with a smile on his face as she scurried into her bathroom. She could be so awkward and uncomfortable in her own skin at times and he found it to be rather endearing because it was a stark contrast to her normal sexy confidence. He grinned when she reappeared in the bedroom in a baggy t-shirt and small shorts. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail since he had pulled out her hair tie during their rough foreplay. "Did you really have to put on clothes?" He asked chuckling.

"I don't like sleeping naked," she explained with a laugh.

He threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me but I love the thought of you sleeping naked." When she was close enough for him to reach, he pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I like your hair up," he commented casually.

"Yeah?" She answered simply as she absentmindedly fiddled with the ends of her hair while placing the other hand on his shoulder. His hair was even messier then usual and it looked boyishly cute. She trailed her hands down over his toned chest and arms. He was tall, lean, and well muscled with a light smattering of hair on his chest. He had a tattoo of a simple, five pointed star on his left upper arm and he still wore his dog tags. JJ had been right, he was totally her type. But what she found the most attractive about him was the playful sparkle in his eyes whenever he looked at her. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

"I like it down too, either or," he laughed. "You look beautiful regardless."

"Thanks," she replied quietly as she actually felt herself blush. "But you've already gotten me into bed so you don't have to say that," she said and she was only half joking.

He placed both of his hands on either side of her face and kissed her passionately. "I wanted to say it," he whispered.

She kissed him in return with just as much want. Afterwards, she brushed a hand through his hair as she said, "I should probably tell you now that you shouldn't spend the night."

His face fell immediately. "What? Why not?"

"Because I kick in my sleep," she laughed.

"Christ woman," he sighed in relief. "I thought that you were going to say that you had like another guy coming in later or something." He laughed to himself as he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder. "Who told you that you kick in your sleep?" He asked curiously.

"JJ," she answered. "We've been forced to share a bed on more then one occasion."

He couldn't help the obvious, naughty imagery from popping into his head. "That's hot," he snickered.

She snorted in disbelief. "God Mick, you're such a guy. Knock it off." She attempted to squirm out of his grasp but he held her firmly in place. "Let me go," she giggled.

"No," he laughed. He flipped her over onto her back and pinned her to the mattress. "But I am going to take these shorts off," he stated as he slipped both of his hands inside the shorts in question. He smirked down at her at his discovery that she wasn't wearing any underwear. "With what I have planned, you may as well just sleep naked tonight."

* * *

Mick awoke early the next morning. He had never been one for sleeping in. He usually got up early on Saturday mornings and went for a run or to the gym to workout. He liked to come back and shower, cook himself a little breakfast, and read the newspaper. But waking up next to Emily Prentiss on a Saturday morning was so much better. He had wrapped himself completely around her in his sleep which he found strange because he didn't normally spoon or cuddle women but his arm was around her waist and his head was resting against hers. He kissed her hair, which was down again, and began to gently stroke her abdomen. "Emily," he whispered. "Wake up."

She grunted sleepily in response and buried her face further into her pillow.

He chuckled and pushed her hair aside so that he could gain access to her neck. "Come on Prentiss, look alive," he said in between kisses.

"I wanna sleep in," she mumbled.

"And you're cranky in the mornings," he laughed.

She rolled over so that she could face him, or more importantly scowl at him. "I am not," she disagreed. "But its Saturday and I want to sleep."

"Sleep is so overrated," he grinned.

As she felt his hands skim over her hips, she began to come around to his way of thinking. Sleep _is_ overrated.

After he had finally allowed her to go back to sleep, she awoke a measly hour and a half later to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She rolled over so that she was facing the door to her bedroom and slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at Mick. He was standing in the doorway to her room in just his boxers with two cups of coffee in his hands. "Do you want some?" He asked smirking.

She simply nodded and sat up in her bed. He sat down beside her and handed her a coffee mug. "Thanks," she murmured.

They were engaged in their typical flirtatious banter over their morning after coffee when they heard the shrill, annoying ring of a cell phone. "Not again," Mick grumbled.

"Ugh, that one is mine," Emily groaned. She reached across him and grabbed her cell off of her nightstand. "Prentiss," she answered professionally.

"_Hey Em."_

Emily sighed, it was JJ and she knew by the grim and guilty edge to her voice that they had a case. "Where?"

"_Colorado and we'll be in the mountains so pack accordingly."_

"Okay, thanks Jayge. When are we coming in?" She asked as she sent Mick a regretful look.

"_Hotch wants us to meet at the airstrip for this one in an hour."_

"See you then." She closed her phone and sighed again. "I gotta go."

"Its okay, I get it," he replied.

She smiled because that's exactly what she had hoped he would say. She kissed him affectionately before she hopped out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. Her exuberant, Mick-induced haze quickly faded when she got a good look at herself in the mirror. "Mick!" She shrieked. "Fuck you!"

He walked up behind her laughing. "You've already done that four times love, but if you wanna go again…"

She spun around quickly and narrowed her eyes at him. "I have to go to work now with a huge fucking hickey on my neck thanks to you!"

"You have makeup," he shrugged. She continued to stare at him angrily and he imagined that what she was currently giving him was her best interrogation face. "Okay, I'm sorry," he caved. "I couldn't help myself and besides you scratched the hell out of my back, sounds fair to me."

She pushed on his chest rather forcefully. "Out of my bathroom. I have to get ready for work."

He laughed to himself as he collected his clothes from her bedroom floor. He folded them neatly and laid them in a pile, not bothering to get redressed yet. He sat on the edge of her bed, drinking his coffee, while he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. When she finally came out, in just a towel, she still looked very unpleasant. She disappeared into her walk-in closet and he followed her. "So you'll call me when you get back to the hotel for the night?"

"Yeah, sure," she murmured as she perused her closet for clothes to pack in her go bag.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his bare chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered in ear. He placed a hand under her chin and turned her head so that he could kiss her.

She hated that she wanted to stay mad at him but couldn't. "It's fine; it's not the first time I've had to cover up a hickey. I have makeup and this blue pullover that has a collar that covers my neck."

"Is there any way that I can help you get ready any quicker? Ya know, besides putting my clothes on so that you're not distracted," he grinned.

"Actually yes," she answered. "You can grab my go bag from the laundry room and my hiking boots from the closet downstairs."

He sighed playfully, "I am whipped already. Yes, I will get those things for you."

"Thanks," she smiled teasingly before she gave him a quick kiss.

He retrieved her bag and boots like she had asked and then redressed before going downstairs to wait for her to finish getting ready. He grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit in her kitchen and poured himself a second cup of coffee for the morning. He grinned to himself when she came down the stairs fully dressed with her go bag in hand and her gun on her hip. She was wearing black slacks and a grey, button-up shirt. Her hair was down and straightened, and it effectively covered the hickey that he had given her. "Why do you always look so good?" He asked with a laugh.

"I didn't realize that I do," she responded with a laugh of her own as she came to stand beside him in her kitchen. She decided to grab a banana so that she could eat it on the plane later.

"You do." He slipped a hand into the back pocket of her pants and waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Too bad you have a case."

She nodded in agreement and checked her watch. "I gotta go!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily. "I'll call you," she said after she finished making that humming sound that she always made when they made out that drove him crazy.

He was so taken aback by the kiss that he barely managed to catch what she was saying as she hurried out the door. She had yelled something about how he could stay as long as he wanted and to remember to lock the door on his way out. He leaned on the counter of the island and took a deep breath. That woman had the potential to really do a number on him.

**A/N: Review please! Your thoughts mean the world to me. And remember to vote for me in the Criminal Minds fanfiction Awards! I am nominated twice, for this story and for a JJ-centric oneshot called The Gatekeeper. Check it out! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello all! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, alerting, and favouriting this story. It is nominated for a Profiler's Choice CM Award so go on over to Chit Chat on Author's Corner and vote! :) You have until November 30th.**

**I am currently incredibly busy with school so it might be a little while before I update again but enjoy this update and remember that it has not been betaed.**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 8 – An Admirer**

When Emily boarded the jet, everyone was there except for Morgan. She wasn't surprised because that man is a lot of things but punctual is not one of them. She took a seat across from JJ and Rossi and next to Reid. The blonde shot her a small, sympathetic smile, as if she already knew that her call had interrupted time with Mick. Emily merely shrugged, "Its fine." She knew that abruptly leaving places and people was part of the job.

Reid and Rossi exchanged confused looks but knew better than to question the actions of the two women.

Morgan burst through the door of the plane muttering expletives about construction and traffic jams in his neighbourhood.

"Don't worry about it Morgan," Hotch replied. "JJ, tell them that we're ready to take off and then we can get started on the case file."

When JJ returned from the cockpit, she started on the details surrounding the case. "Okay, four dead hikers found near the small town of Estes Park, Colorado. It's a popular vacation destination in the summer and the location of the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park. Last summer," she began as she handed out the crime scene photos. "A white male was found in June and then a white female in early August. Last week, two more bodies were found. Both white, one male and the other female, they were a newlywed couple. So two males and two females with no sexual assault. The cause of death is a single gunshot to the back of the head. The amount of tourism in the area has decreased drastically and the local police are afraid they may have their own Robert Hansen on their hands."

They began to bounce around theories and quickly realized that they have a lot of ground to cover in a national park that none of them were familiar with and since all of their victims were tourists, victimology would be practically useless. Their unsub had no apparent sexual motive and he used a hunter's weapon in an area full of people who hunted regularly. He had also recently gotten bolder, killing two people at once. Emily sighed to herself because it seemed as if they were in for a long one.

* * *

They landed in Denver and drove to Estes Park. Reid had promptly informed them that Denver International Airport is seventy-five miles southeast of Estes Park so the drive wasn't too long.

When they reached the Estes Park police station and hopped out of their SUVs, Emily was glad that she had changed into her black fatigues on the plane. The surrounding scenery was beautiful but it was beyond hot. She put on her sunglasses and resisted the urge to tie her hair back. She was back to having the urge to kill Mick because of that hickey.

Once all the appropriate introductions were made with the locals, JJ, Reid, and Hotch got to work inside the station. While Sheriff Duncan lead her, Morgan, and Rossi to the crime scenes where they met up with two park rangers.

Morgan couldn't contain his chuckles as he watched the younger park ranger, who couldn't be much older than twenty-one years old, blush uncontrollably at having to shake hands with Emily. "Don't give the poor boy a heart attack Prentiss," he joked when they were out of earshot from the rest of the group.

"What are you talking about?" She asked in confusion as they continued their hike through the woods on their way to the most recent crime scene.

"If he stares any harder at you, his eyes are going to pop out of his head," Morgan laughed.

Emily looked at the men walking in front of them. Obviously he had to be talking about the younger park ranger, Kevin Morris, but she had completely missed what he was referring to. "Whatever Morgan, you're delusional," she muttered.

"Just tone yourself down around him, wouldn't want to give him the wrong idea," he teased.

She shoved him playfully and then they both put on their masks of professionalism as they reached their destination.

They went to the older crime scenes just to scope out the locations before heading back to the station. The scenes where the bodies had been found were similar to the ones that they had seen in Boise National Forest a few years ago when two brothers were hunting humans for sport and that's what Morgan and Emily reported. They were definitely looking for a hunter, most likely just the one this time.

The BAU turned in for the night when the locals did. They checked into their hotel and instead of settling into their rooms right away, JJ and Emily decided to grab a bite to eat and some coffee at a nearby diner. Morgan and Reid joined them but as they expected, Hotch and Rossi decided to stay in.

The diner's cheeseburger was supposedly state famous so that's what they all ordered. The four of them had finished eating and were sipping their coffee when Morgan snorted with laughter. "Your admirer is here Prentiss," he said with a smirk.

"What?" JJ and Reid asked in unison.

Sure enough, when Emily turned her head towards the front door of the diner she saw Kevin Morris walking towards the booth that they were sitting in.

"Hi Agent Prentiss," he smiled happily and then added as an afterthought, "Hey Agent Morgan."

Morgan nodded in acknowledgement as Emily responded, "Good evening Ranger Morris."

"Kevin, please," he grinned.

She nodded and introduced the remaining members of the table. "_Kevin_, this is Agent Jareau and Dr. Reid."

"Hello, nice to meet ya. I was just stopping in for some coffee and saw you all sitting here."

Morgan chuckled quietly to himself. The young man was very transparent but he didn't seem to care. "Do you live in town?" Morgan asked as he shot his raven haired friend a large, mischievous grin.

"Yeah," the young man nodded eagerly. "I can show you guys around if you want." He had used the plural term 'guys', but when he had replied he had looked exclusively at Emily.

"Actually, we should be getting back to work," she answered quickly. She stood up from the table after leaving enough money on the table to cover her bill and a tip. Luckily, her colleagues followed her lead.

"Well, then I guess I'll see ya tomorrow," Kevin smiled.

Emily smiled back and spoke politely to the young, bashful, park ranger as they said their goodbyes. She had picked up on the behaviour that Morgan had teased her about as the day had passed and now the encounter at the diner had made things abundantly clear to her. It was funny because she couldn't even remember the last time that she had gotten hit on while working a case before meeting Mick…well not counting the Viper incident. And now her first case since her and Mick had gotten intimate was one where a young park ranger was following her around like a puppy.

Morgan made a few last minute, teasing remarks before she disappeared into her hotel room.

She looked over the case files again and made some notes before hopping in the shower. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top and made herself comfortable in the bed before deciding to call Mick. She picked up her cell phone and dialled his number somewhat nervously.

However, the excitement in his voice when he answered quelled the nerves quite a bit. _"Hey! I thought that you'd never call!"_

She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and winced. It was very late in D.C. "Sorry, I forgot that I was on Mountain Time."

"_It's not a problem, I'm practically an insomniac anyway,"_ he laughed.

"Okay," she sighed. "Well that makes me feel better. How was your day?"

"_Boring."_

She grinned to herself. "Really?"

"_Come on, you know it was! Especially compared to what I could have been doing if you weren't on the other side of the country."_

"And what would that be?" She asked jokingly.

"_Oh, don't make me say it."_

She laughed and then decided to steer the conversation in another direction. She was being an awful tease and she knew it. "So I've found an admirer here in Colorado."

"_Oh really?"_

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was very curious. "His name is Kevin and he's a Park Ranger."

"_Do I need to be worried?"_

"He's very young," she added.

"_Is that a yes or a no?"_ He asked with a chuckle.

"Are you actually concerned?" She questioned. Insecure was not a side of Mick Rawson that she had seen.

"_Not after last night."_

Awe, there was the arrogant side that she was used to. She laughed loudly into the receiver. "Oh really? You're that confident in your performance?"

"_Mm hm."_ He sounded like he was practically growling into the phone now, his voice was that husky. _"I'm more confident in your response to my performance actually."_

"What if I told you I was faking it?" She really was teasing him mercilessly.

"_Then I'll cry!"_ She erupted into a fit of laughter. _"You think that I'm joking but I'm not. I will openly weep. Please tell me that you were not faking it."_

"I wasn't…any of the times," she added lowly.

"_You need to catch this unsub tomorrow and get back to D.C. as soon as possible."_

She sighed, "That would be great."

"_Yeah it would be. I want you in my bed."_

She smiled to herself as she felt her race redden, and blushing was not something that she did often. "Okay, well I'm going to go try to get a goodnight's sleep."

"_Embarrassed you did I, love?"_ He inquired with amusement clear in his voice.

She ignored his question. "Goodnight Mick."

"_Goodnight Emily. Can't wait to see you."_

Once again, she girlishly smiled to herself before hanging up the phone. Mick made her feel very young and for now it was an incredibly welcomed feeling. And she had never wanted to catch an unsub so badly before.

**A/N: Review and VOTE! Please and thank you. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So here's chapter 9...finally. Between final exams and the holidays things have been quite busy but I am trying my best to tie up any loose ends before a new semester begins. So that means that chapter 10, the final chapter of this story, will be posted no later then New Years' Day. Enjoy the update everyone! :)**

**Once again, this story is un-betaed.**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 9 – Mrs. Rawson**

They caught the unsub two days later. Marvin Hearn seemed like an average, quiet, 35 year old, white male who lived on the outskirts of town and enjoyed hunting like the majority of people in his part of the country. But upon entering his home and digging a little into his past, it was easy to see that he was far from average. His home was barely fit to step inside of and it was littered with hunting memorabilia, firearms and the belongings of his victims. His mother had died when he was just a toddler and his upbringing at the hands of his father had revolved around camping and hunting. He had quit high school in grade eleven after his father died and he had a brief, unstable marriage in his late twenties. And he had been killing, unnoticed, for a lot longer than they had thought. It was a sad story yet a very typical profile. Their only hope was that the small town could move past it, that tourism would return to the area, and that the victims' families could eventually have some peace.

One positive outcome had been that Emily had barely dealt with overzealous park ranger Kevin Morris in the last two days that they had heavily pursued their unsub.

Now, once again, they were on the plane and heading back to Virginia.

"Man, I'm exhausted," JJ sighed as she took a seat across from Emily.

The brunette nodded in agreement but stayed silent. She hated these cases. The hunting, the game, that's all it's about for unsubs like Marvin Hearn and she just hoped that this job never became like that for her.

"What's going on?" JJ eventually inquired.

"I'm tired. Drained. You name it. I just need a few days to relax," she answered.

"And spend time with a certain someone," the blonde grinned.

Emily laughed quietly and flushed. "Maybe a little."

"It's nice to have someone waiting home, isn't it?"

She sighed happily, "It really is."

* * *

When Emily landed in D.C., she didn't head to her apartment but to Mick's house instead. She had never been to his place before but she knew his address and she was very pleasantly surprised when she pulled into his driveway. His house was nice and cozy looking. It wasn't small but it wasn't extravagant either. He lived in a nice neighbourhood and the house gave off the impression that he was content in his life and ready to settle down.

She smiled when she saw that all the lights were on in the house meaning that he was home. She hopped out of her car, taking the box of pizza and half case of beer that she had picked up along the way with her. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently for him.

He answered the door barefoot wearing old blue jeans and a black t-shirt. "Well," he grinned, "isn't this a nice surprise."

"I hope you think so," she replied.

"Yeah, you brought pizza and beer, I have to let you in," he joked as he motioned her inside his home.

She laughed as she thrust the contents of her hands at him and stepped inside his house. She removed her jacket and hung it on the coat rack in his porch. She followed Mick into the kitchen and looked around interestedly. He wasn't exceptionally neat but that could be fixed. "I like your house," she commented.

"Well make yourself at home," he smiled. He opened a beer and handed it to her along with a slice of pizza straight out of the box.

She leaned against his kitchen counter and began to eat her first bite of the day. She was too hungry to worry about plates and napkins. He walked towards her with a beer of his own in one hand and a slice of pizza that was almost already finished. "You just ate disgustingly fast," she laughed.

"Sorry, I was starved love." He hooked a finger in a belt loop on her pants and tugged her forward. "So you got your unsub?" He asked quietly.

"Yup," she nodded. "And I really hate those cases. The hunters," she explained.

"Wanna tell me why?" He probed gently.

She smiled softly, she loved that he gave her the option and that he would understand if she were to tell him. "Not right now." She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Well, what do you want to do right now then?" He asked with a small grin.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "I can think of something."

"I think that I'm going to like this idea," Mick murmured before he claimed her mouth.

* * *

Early the next morning, Emily felt Mick's mouth on her ear. "I'm gonna hop in the shower, wanna join me?"

She sleepily shook her head. "Why do you get up so early on days when you don't have to work?"

"To be productive," he chuckled. "I can't sleep in but your lazy arse can go back to sleep." He laughed as she made a feeble attempt to smack him but missed. He kissed her softly on the top of the head. "I'll be quick."

She heard the bathroom door close and then the water turn on and was just beginning to fall back to sleep when she heard the always annoying ringing of a phone. She automatically groaned before she realized that it wasn't her cell phone. She rolled over and glanced at Mick's cell phone on the nightstand and saw that it wasn't his either, meaning that it was his home telephone.

"Can you get that love?" He called out from the bathroom.

Emily forced herself out of bed and pulled Mick's t-shirt over her head. It barely covered her ass but it would do. She ran down the stairs and nearly tripped over Mick's overexcited puppy, Boxer. She finally reached the phone and picked up on the last ring. "Hello?"

"_Hello?"_ A woman with a thick, British accent asked in puzzlement. _"Who is this?"_

"This is Emily Prentiss. Mick can't come to the phone at the moment. Can I take a message?"

"_Emily Prentiss? Mick's Emily? How are you dear?"_

"I'm fine thanks. How are you?" She was incredibly confused; she had no idea who she was speaking to.

"_I'm wonderful. Gosh,"_ she laughed melodically, _"I should introduce myself. I'm Mick's mum, Gail."_

"Oh, hi Mrs. Rawson." She ran a hand through her slightly mussed hair. She couldn't believe that she was talking to Mick's mother on the phone at eight o'clock in the morning. It was beyond awkward.

"_There was something that I wanted to discuss with Mick about his sister's upcoming wedding in Ireland but I can tell you if he's not available."_

Now Emily was beyond confused. Mick had never mentioned that one of his sisters was getting married. Luckily, Mick was now walking down over the stairs with a towel wrapped around his hips. He stood directly behind her and slipped his hands under the back of the t-shirt that she was wearing. He tickled the skin of her lower back as he whispered in her ear, "Who is it?"

"Actually," Emily spoke into the receiver of the phone, "he's here now so you can speak to him. It's your mom," she told Mick as she passed him the phone.

A faint look of panic crossed his face before he calmly answered the phone, "Hey Mum."

Emily briefly watched Mick rake a hand through his hair while he talked in frustrated mumbles on the phone with his mother before she walked back up the stairs. She managed to find her bra and panties in the bedroom and put them back on. She was just pulling up her pants when Mick walked into the room.

"Hey," he greeted her simply.

"So when is your sister getting married in Ireland?" She asked as she buttoned her pants and avoided his gaze.

He cringed slightly, "In two months."

"And why did your mother, who seems very nice by the way, assume that I would know about this wedding?"

"Ugh," he groaned. "Well okay," he began speaking rapidly, "she thought you would know because I told her that I wanted to ask you to go with me but then I didn't ask you because I was worried that it would scare you off!" He groaned loudly again as he ran both of his hands roughly through his hair. "Oh bloody hell!" He looked at Emily to find that she was staring at him speechless. He had officially done it; he had successfully chased her away.

When she finally did respond to him it certainly wasn't what he had expected. She laughed out loud and then covered her mouth with her hand to smother her laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" He questioned in utter disbelief.

She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You overthink things like a woman sometimes," she told him before pulling him in for a passionate kiss. "You didn't tiptoe around me when we first met so why are you doing it now?"

"I dunno," he answered quietly. "I've never been like this before."

"So you're saying that it's my fault?" She teased.

"Yes," he laughed, "it is your fault."

"How about we put this issue on the backburner for a little while and talk about it when we discuss my hatred for unsubs who hunt their victims?" She proposed.

He nodded, "I think that that's a good idea."

"Yeah, I tend to have a lot of those," she grinned.

"You keep telling yourself that love," he laughed as he began to push her back towards the bed.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. "I just got redressed," she whined.

"Minor inconveniences," he stated as he easily overpowered her and they both fell onto the mattress with him on top of her.

"I could easily kick your ass, you know?"

He huffed, "I'd like to see you try."

She quickly hooked one of her legs behind his ankle and used the leverage to flip both of them over so that she was straddling him. She smiled triumphantly as she pushed stray hair out of her face. "Well that was easy."

"That was hot," Mick chuckled.

She leaned down and pressed her mouth against his as she pinned his hands to the bed. "Thanks," she murmured as she moved down to kiss his neck. "By the way, I'll go to your sister's wedding with you."

He smiled brightly and then gently cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her.

Needless to say, they talked very little after that.

**A/N: Recap from first A/N: The final chapter of this story will be posted around New Years' Day. Don't forget to review and leave me your thoughts! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everyone! This update is only a day late so I hope that that's okay. Enjoy the last chapter of this story and make sure to read my note at the bottom! Thanks. :)**

**Once again, this story is un-betaed. This chapter is set after episode 6x04 - "Compromising Positions".**

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.**

**Chapter 10 – It's Different Now**

Emily groaned loudly as she heard what could only be called obnoxious, incessant banging on her door. She had just gotten home so who would be this anxious to talk to her? She pulled open her apartment door and her eyes settled on a wild, dark eyed Mick. He looked absolutely furious.

"So I heard that you almost got yourself killed!" He yelled as he stormed into her home without an invitation.

"I did not," she sighed in frustration. "I knew what I was doing."

"Why are you always the bait, Em?"

"I'm not," she argued.

"Come on, I heard what happened the other year with that case with the pickup artist." His anger had dulled and now he was just distraught.

"Garcia tells you way too much," she commented.

He cracked a small smile and walked towards her so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. "Sorry," he apologized timidly. "I flipped when I heard what you did to catch that guy. You put yourself in a really dangerous position."

"It's my job, yours too," she rationalized.

"I know, I know," he repeated. "But it's different now."

And he was right, things were different now. They were different now. A lot of things had changed in both of their lives. She had had a really tough case in Los Angeles and he had gone through much of the same in St. Louis. JJ had left the BAU for a job at the Pentagon, leaving everyone, especially her, Reid and Garcia, a little lost and Mick was adjusting to a new addition to their team.

They had now been seeing each other for over a month but they were both a lot more serious about each other than the time period would suggest, anytime that they weren't at work then they were with each other and they spilt time pretty much equally between her apartment and his house. Boxer had become attached to Emily and Mick had started leaving some of his belongings around her place.

"It is different now but we still have our jobs and they can be dangerous," she acknowledged his statement but kept a clear, lucid train of thought.

"I just wish that I could look out for you," he whispered.

She pulled away from him and walked to the other side of her kitchen. "If we were on the same team it would be a disaster, that's why fraternization isn't allowed in the Bureau, but we work in different offices so it's not as bad. And I worry about you when you're away on cases too, so just have a little faith in me," she smiled.

"I'm not questioning your capabilities, that's not the issue," he stated as he shook his head. He stepped up to her once again, he hated the distance between them. "I know that you're strong and brilliant and can take care of yourself but you're also a very attractive woman and it unnerves me that you spend most of your time around men that are, to put it simply, violent perverts."

She bit down on her bottom lip anxiously. "Well then I guess that you won't be thrilled that I have to do a custodial interview tomorrow."

He groaned, "At least it will be in a secure prison. Where are you going and is anybody going with you?"

"Red Onion Supermax Prison in Virginia with Reid," she answered.

"If I remember hearing the news correctly, the last time that you and Reid went somewhere alone both of you almost died."

She sighed as she picked up his reference to the Benjamin Cyrus case. "Jesus Mick." She tightly grasped the lapels of his leather jacket and pulled him in for a kiss. "Sometimes you talk too much," she spoke against his lips.

He smiled, kissed her back, and was willingly to accept her change of topic. "I knew that you were just with me for my body."

She hummed pleasantly and slipped her hands under his t-shirt. "It's true, and you're with me for my money," she joked.

"And your bed," he added, "God your bed is comfortable."

She laughed as she pushed his jacket off of his shoulders and he let it fall to the kitchen floor. "My bed is pretty freaking awesome." She grabbed his belt and began to drag him across the kitchen and towards her staircase. She turned around and raised an eyebrow at him when they were halfway to her bedroom. "You are done talking now right?"

He nodded vigorously, "Yes, love."

"Perfect," she grinned.

* * *

"What time do you have to leave for your custodial interview tomorrow?" Mick asked as they lay in bed and he lazily stroked her bare arm. He honestly found it difficult to stop touching her. She was lying on her back with the thin bed sheet pulled up to cover her chest while he was on his side with his elbow propped up on the mattress to support his head and the sheet pooled haphazardly around his waist.

"Not until the afternoon. I don't have to go into the office tomorrow until noon," she answered as she worked a hand through her dark, thick hair.

"Who do you have to interview?" He questioned curiously.

"Ronald Cameron."

He nodded, he recognized the name. Ronald Cameron was intelligent, quiet, and well-read. He appeared to be quite timid but he had violently tortured and killed six married couples in Arlington, Virginia eight years ago. He was one of the prison's most infamous prisoners but was known as a model prisoner and his library privileges depended on him acting accordingly. Mick wasn't overly worried about her going with Reid to interview him.

He ran his fingertips along her cheekbones and then down her slender neck as his mind wandered off in a different direction. "Do you remember the topics of conversation that we put on the backburner a little while back?"

She turned her head so that they were facing each other. "Yes," she replied hesitantly.

"I wanna talk about them now, if that's okay…" he trailed off.

"Um, yeah," she nodded. "Just let me get something to eat first, I'm starving. Do you want anything?"

He grinned, "I'll just take a bite of whatever you get."

She impishly rolled her eyes as she got up out of bed. He unashamedly watched her walk around the bedroom naked as she pulled on her panties and grabbed her favourite Yale sweatshirt out of a drawer. She left the room and he sat up in the bed. He ran a hand over his face, and the fresh facial hair, as he took a deep breath.

Before he had time to fully gather his thoughts, Emily reappeared in the room with a homemade sandwich on a plate. She sat back down next to him on the bed and began to talk immediately. "I hate the cases where unsubs hunt their victims because I'm afraid that that's what I'll turn into. I mean, isn't that what we do, every day, hunt these people like animals?"

"Yes, but it's different," he protested.

She nodded, "I know." After all, she had had this conversation with Morgan. "It's just something that really bothers me."

He hadn't been in the BAU as long as she but he had served in the military so he completely understood her fear. "If you ever begin to feel that all the job is to you is the hunt…and I know that will never _ever_ happen…but if it does, then tell me."

She nodded once again and leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before she began to nibble on it.

"Anytime," he smiled. He kissed her on the mouth again before he pulled away from her and stopped their foreplay. He saw the confused look on her face and explained, "My turn, remember?"

"Sorry," she laughed lightly. She picked up one half of her sandwich and began to eat it while handing the other half to him. "So why don't you act the same way around me as other women?"

He took a bite of the sandwich that she had offered him and slowed nervously. "I act differently around you because I fell for you almost right away. You made me nervous, well you still make me nervous," he chuckled.

Her eyes had widened slightly but she tried not to appear panicked. "What are you trying to say Mick?"

"I'm trying to say that although I've never been in love before I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you." He took in her facial reaction and body language and he knew that he had taken her off guard. "You don't have to say anything! I just really needed to tell you."

"Umm…" She ran both of her hands through her hair and bit down on her bottom lip. She hopped off the bed and slowly paced the room. All of her nervous habits were coming into play now. "Just give me a minute," she told him breathlessly.

"Uh, yeah, okay," he answered as he watched her anxiously from the bed.

After mere minutes but what felt like hours for the both of them, Emily sat down in front of him on her knees. She placed both of her hands on either side of his face and spoke quietly. "Mick, I'm not in love with you." He tried to lower his head in defeat but her hands kept his gaze firmly locked on hers. "Hey, I'm not done," she chuckled and was pleased to see that she was rewarded with a small smile. "But give me some time and I know that I can fall in love with you."

He sighed in relief. "That's good enough for me," he smiled. "I thought that you were gonna run outta here."

She smiled back and crawled into his lap. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and pulled on his dog tags with the other. "I wouldn't do that to you," she said before kissing him.

"It's good enough for me…for now," he elaborated.

She nodded in understanding. "I only want to be fair to you."

"I'm willing to give you time," he responded. He pushed her onto her back and hovered above her. "Probably a lot of time," he chuckled huskily.

She placed a hand on the back of his neck and threaded her fingers through his short, dark hair. "I probably won't need a lot of time," she confessed.

"Brilliant," he beamed before he leaned down and kissed her.

Emily was now doing the last thing that she expected when she allowed JJ and Garcia to convince her to take Mick Rawson seriously. She was falling for him and picturing him in her future.

When she had agreed to what she thought was an easy bet, she hadn't imagined a serious relationship coming out of it. But Mick Rawson was full of surprises. She had completely misjudged him when they first met and she was glad that she had given him a chance because he was a man who was attracted to her, understood her job, and was just a _really_ good guy.

He stopped kissing her neck and glanced up at her. "Distracted?"

"Sorry," she laughed. "I let my mind get away from me for a minute."

"Thinking about me when I'm right in front you?" He teased with a mischievous grin while pushing his hips into hers.

She rolled her eyes and stated, "Still so full of yourself."

"Well why wouldn't I be?" He asked smirking. "You practically dragged me up here earlier."

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," she warned light-heartedly.

He laughed and the vibrations of his chest against her own sent glorious shivers down her body. He kissed her passionately and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. They continued to playfully banter back and forth as they set fire to her bed sheets.

**A/N: I've really enjoyed writing this story. I loved the chemistry between Mick and Emily in "The Fight" and I hope that I've changed some of your minds about the pairing. This has been one of my most highly reviewed stories so thanks so much for that. So that's the end of this story but I am happy to announce that there will be an epilogue so its not officially over. :) Thanks so much for reading. Don't forget to leave a review and I hope that you stick around for the epilogue. :) Happy New Year everyone! **


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